Pokemon Story
by CertainDestiny
Summary: Setting: Sinnoh Region. A character named Aaron Shadow appears at Dawn's first contest. He is a strategist and tactician meaning he's a great adversary. Will Dawn prevail? What will happen in the future since he becomes a part of the group? BONUS/EXTRA CONTENT NOW BEING ADDED FOR THE TIME BEING.
1. Aaron Shadow

**Disclaimer:** Satoshi Tajiri owns Pokemon (characters, series, and concepts). I own nothing of it except for my OC, Aaron Shadow.

**Aaron Shadow**

"Where is this Contest Hall?" Groaned a blue-haired female that was accompanied by other males as her azure eyes searched around the surroundings restlessly. "Don't worry, Dawn, it's not suppose to be hard to find it, I guess." A dark-skinned male proclaimed with slight uncertainty; he was mostly trying to give the girl now known as Dawn a comforting thought.

"If we don't, Brock, I could miss my registration." Dawn emphasized worriedly to the male now identified as Brock. "Just calm down, Dawn. We'll find it. You're excited that this is the first contest and don't want to miss it." Ash Ketchum, the Pride of Pallet Town, reassured. "Pika." the electric mouse Pokemon, Pikachu, cooed in agreement.

But sadly, Ash's statement was contradicted by the total fact they were lost within Jubilife City of the Sinnoh Region; they were currently in the middle of an alley. Then, three heads poked out from the edge of a building that overlooked the trio. It was the famous trio known was Team Rocket.

"It looks like the twerps have lost their way." The red-headed female that was Jessie stated observantly. "Looks like a perfect chance to snag that Pikachu." The periwinkle haired male that was known as James suggested. "I couldn't agree more." The famous talking Scratch Cat Meowth followed up in anticipation.

"These roads are so crowded we had to find alternate routes. I don't even know when they'll let up." Brock stated. That was the reason why were in an alleyway in the first place, they were trying to avoid the human traffic seen in the streets of Jubilife City. "Then at this rate, we'll never get there." Dawn said forebodingly, almost becoming panicky.

Unexpectedly, a mechanical glove snatched Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder. "PIKA!" Pikachu yelled in distress as it was forcibly whisked through the air. "Pikachu!" Ash abruptly called out to it. The glove retracted back to the control pad that was currently belonging to Meowth, the one commissioning the device. "Team Rocket!" Ash, Dawn, and Brock exclaimed in unison.

"Surprise!" Team Rocket exclaimed back tauntingly. "We just snagged your Pikachu, and it's for us to skedaddle." Meowth stated before running away with Jessie and James to their trademark Meowth hot-air balloon.

"Come back here!" Ask shouted pursuing them along with Dawn and Brock. The balloon was getting away quickly. Seeing this, Ash took out a Pokeball, "Go, Starly, go get Pikachu!" Ash commanded throwing the red-and-white machine into the air. It popped open in order to release white light that materialized into a white-cheeked startling-like creature. "Star!" Starly cawed as it began flying toward the balloon.

"Oh, look unwanted company." James announced as his eyes examined the Normal/Flying-type heading their way. "Dustox, uses Poison Sting!" Jesse commanded as she threw out her own Pokeball. This one released a moth-like creature. "Dustox!" The Bug/Poison-type fired purple needles from its black mouth at Starly. The Poison String successfully scored a hit that caused Starly to screech in pain.

"Starly, no!" Ash yelled.

"Catch us if you can, twerps." They insulted in unison as the balloon accelerated away. They were too busy mocking our heroes that they didn't noticed they were passing by the Contest Hall of Jubilife City.

The object in the sky instantly caught the eyes of a of a male brunette coordinator. His silver/grey hat covered the majority of his brown hair and shaded his brown eyes. His apparel consisted of a silver dress shirt that was unbuttoned to reveal a forest green undershirt, blue pants, and blue and grey Tennis shoes.

A Magneton that was hovering beside also saw the hot-air balloon. "Magne..(That looks ominious..)" The Steel/Electric-type murmured. "You're right. That balloon looks like trouble. We should follow it, Magneton." The stranger said. "Magneton. (Right.)" It replied in concurrence. The two then made their way to the forest where the balloon disappeared in to.

"We finally got the twerp's Pikachu," Jesse said gleefully, "The boss will give us a great big promotion."

"Come back here, Team Rocket!" Brock demanded from the distance. "Too bad ya can't catch us!" Meowth taunted sneeringly.

"Zap Cannon." A voice suddenly commanded. A green, electrical ball shot from out of nowhere. It hit the balloon and elicited an explosion against the balloon. The obstruction to the rubber material created a hole that instantaneously released all the air from it and caused it to lose altitude quickly. Eventually, the hot-air balloon crashed-landed on the ground.

"OK. Whose the wise guy?" James groaned questioningly. He, along with Jessie and Meowth, were rendered in awkward and somewhat painful positions from their impact. The young trainers finally caught up with them. "What happened to them?" Dawn inquired.

"Yeah Whose Zap Cannon?" Brock asked, referring to the attack that spared them for a continued pursuit. "That would be my Magneton's." A voice calmly answered in the vicinity. They look over to the source of the voice and saw the aforementioned stranger leaning against a tree coolly with his Magneton ready for battle.

"You pick the wrong people to mess with." Meowth warned as he stood up after regaining his composure. Jesse and James threw outall of their Pokeballs and released each and every Pokemon they had in tow; A puprle viper-like Pokemon with gold plates and a blade-edge tail called Seviper, a levitating Venus'-flytrap plant called Carnivine, Dustox, a spiked, cactus-like Pokemon with a gold flower on top called Cacnea.

Instantly upon release, the two grass-type pokemon affectionately rocketed to James. Carnivine chomped onto James' head, its powerful mandibles unintentionally pressuring James' cranium; Cacnea hugged his abdominal area, its spikes poking through the fabric of his uniform and straight to his flesh.

"Ow! Double the pain! Double the pain! It hurts! Let go!" James yelled in pain as he desperately attempted to remove his pokemon off of him.

"Who is the owner of that imprisoned Pikachu?" The stranger surveyed, not removing his eyes from the sight of Team and Rocket and their Pokemon.

"Mine." Ash answered and then asked, "Can you free it?"

He smirked, "Watch me. Magneton, Hyper Beam!" Magneton charged up and launched an orange-yellow beam of energy. In addition to a perfect connection to Team Rocket's Pokemon, the attack broke Pikachu's cage, freeing. Now with its freedom reattained, the Electric-type ran toward Ash.

"Pikachu, your OK." Ash pronounced happily as he picked it up. "Pikachu!" It replied in a happy tone.

"I believe it is turn to end this game." The nameless brunette proposed as he removed himself from the tree. "Yup, I think so too." Ash responded as he set Pikachu back down.

"How about a combination?" He suggested, to which Ash nodded in agreement.

"Magneton..."

"Pikachu..."

"Thunder attack!" They commanded in unison. Magneton charged electricity in its magnets while Pikachu charged it in its red cheeks. Simultaneously, they both released a tremendous electrical blast that struck Team Rocket, causing every bit of electricity to electrocute them and their Pokemon.

Eventually, after about 15 seconds of shocking, an explosion suddenly occurred. "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Team Rocket shouted as they helplessly flew into the sky with their Pokemon. When they disappeared, a white twinkle was left in their wake.

"Well, they're off your backs now," the stranger announced as he turned around and began to walk away with his Magneton trailing behind, "See ya."

"Hey, wait. Where you going? Can't we at least get your name?" Brock requested. The strange stopped walking away, but his back remained turned to the trio, "My name is Aaron Shadow of Metropolis Town."

"I'm Brock." Brock introduced himself. "I am Dawn." Dawn followed up. "And mines Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Ash finished up the introductions.

Aaron turned his head to the trio to gaze at them with incomprehensible brown eyes, "If you guys didn't realize it, the Contest Hall is right outside the forest. That is, if any of you three are partaking." He informed.

"Really? Thanks!" Dawn acknowledged appreciatively.

"Dawn, was it? One thing, watch out in the Contest…" Aaron cautioned before smiling. He then resumed his departure so that his smile could no longer be seen, "Because I'm in it. And registrations close in 5 minutes. So, I suggest you follow me." The trio gasped in horror at the revelation and quickly followed the sauntering Aaron.

As Dawn was led to the Contest Hall by her newest rival, she maintained her focus so that she could be ready for her first contest, but by Aaron's recent sneak preview, it definitely was _not_ going to be easy.


	2. Arrival at the Contest

**Disclaimer: **Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). The only thing I own present in this story is Aaron Shadow.

**Arrival at the Contest**

Our heroes accompanied by a new character named Aaron Shadow, who recently rescued Ash's Pikachu from Team Rocket, arrived at the Pokemon Contest. Dawn and Aaron registered just in time before they closed; Ash also decided to enter the contest to try something new. Dawn had also opted to call her mother, Johanna from Twinleaf Town, on the video phones.

"OK, guys, I'm going to go change for the Contest." Dawn announced as he excitedly skipped off. "W-Wait!" Ash exclaimed uncertainly, "What are you talking about "change", Dawn?" The blue-haired coordinator was already out of ear-shot, so Ash's question did not reach her.

"I believe she means that she's going to dress out for the Pokemon Contest." Brock guessed. "You would be correct." Aaron answered, causing Brock and Ash to turn to him, "In Sinnoh Region Pokemon Contests, and maybe future regional contests, dressing up is encouraged."

"Oh..." Ash said, "Too bad I don't have anything to dress out into."

"Here I come~!" Out of nowhere, Dawn approached the trio of males. twirling around elegantly before ending with a curtsy. Her blue hair was fashioned in a ponytail by a gold clip; she wore a beautiful red dress with red shoes.

"That's a great style, Dawn." Ash complimented, gazing at the outfit his friend wore. "Why thank you very much, Ash." Dawn replied.

"What do you think, mom?" Dawn asked her mother who was currently displayed video phone nearest to the group.

"It's very beautiful, sweetie." Johanna commented. Her blue eyes examined her daughter for any flaws or obstructions. She then said, "But your missing one thing, a choker."

"I am? Oh...where can I get one?" Dawn wondered trying to not to become even the least bit panic-stricken for the sake of her performance in the contest.. Then they heard a mewl from behind. It was an approaching Glameow, a cat Pokemon with a grey color and white secondary color, a coiled tail with a white fluff at the tip, normally looking like a cat regular. The Glameow had a red choker at the tip of its tail.

"Hey, who's Glameow?" Brock surveyed, but got no answer.

"Glameow." A voice called. That same Glameow turned around at a red-haired female with sunglasses resting on her head. It jumped into her arms.

"So that Glameow belongs to you right?" Aaron inquired.

"Yes. I overheard your conversation. Here, you can keep the choker." She stated. Her Glameow pushed its tail forward signaling for Dawn to take it. She grabbed it and put it on around her neck.

She presented it to her mother and asked, "Is that better?"

"Perfect." Johanna complimented with a smile.

"It looks I'm ready." Dawn proclaimed.

"But you forgot to thank that girl." She pointed out. Dawn turned around and opened her mouth to proclaim her thankfulness, but the anonymous female was gone.

"She's gone." Ash pronounced, looking around her the girl.

"That was a weird endeavor." Aaron articulated; first she came out of nowhere and then disappeared just as abruptly.

"Hey, Aaron, how come you're not dressing up?" Ash questioned, noticing he never made any attempts or claims regarding dressing out.

Aaron sighed, "Honestly, I really don't want to. And really don't care." Aaron then walked out the door while pulling out two Pokeballs and pressing the white buttons to enlarge them.

"Aaron, wait up!" Ash exclaimed running after him.

"Well, he certainly has a different attitude." The dark-skinned ex-Gym Leader said with crossed arms..

"Yeah." Dawn replied.

Outside at the forest clearing, Aaron was training for the contest. He threw the two Pokeballs and a white light was released in order to materialize the previously seen Magneton and a Scizor.

"Scizor, Magneton, you two are going to train for the contest. I will not direct your performances, you're on your own. Remember, I'm not looking for only power and victory, but appeal, grace, and dazzling combinations. But above all, I want to see what we've worked on for a while and what I've taught you; strategy. Begin!"

As Magneton and Scizor faced each other and got into position, Ash and Pikachu finally caught up to the hat-wearing brunette. "Hey, Aaron! What'cha doing?" Ash inquired.

"Oh, hey, Ash," Aaron greeted before responding, "My Pokemon are training for the Pokemon Contest. Right now they're battling individually, and I'm watching them battle for the qualities I'm looking for: Appeal, Grace, Combinations, Power, and Strategy. I'll also be looking for anything amiss."

"Sounds complex." Ash responded, his eyes diverting their attention slowly to the sparring Steel-types.

"It is. But when Pokemon get the gist of it, it easy then on out." Aaron replied. The two trainers/coordinators spectated the battle.

After completing a backflip, Scizor charged at Magneton with blazing speeds. Ash immediately knew that the Pincer Pokemon was the fastest out of the two. Scizor jumped up and rotated horizontally, mimicking the rotation of a fan, and blew out a gust of silvery gales (Silver Wind).

Magneton matched the Silver Wind by charging electricity in its magnets and released a great blast of said electricity (Thunder). Both attacks collided and cancelled each out, resulting in a statemate.  
Scizor suddenly jumped out of the smoke; going for the levitating Magneton with its claws going white (Metal Claw). Magneton's pupils glowed red before releasing a red target reticle that attached itself to Scizor's abdomen (Lock-On).

Scizor smacked Magneton with Metal Claw and caused it to fall. However, the Steel/Electric-type retaliated by unleashing another Thunder. Scizor initially moved out of the way, but courtesy to Lock-On, Thunder followed Scizor and proceeded to electrocute the Bug/Steel-type painfully. Thunder's secondary effect of causing paralysis kicked in upon connection and Scizor could definitely feel it. Magneton used Lock-On again and then charged a green ball of electricity (Zap Cannon) and fired.

Scizor knew another blast would be fatal. To counter the Zap Cannon, it summoned a green, glowing, glassy dome (Protect) for protection, blocking Zap Cannon completely. Scizor was getting ready to perform another Silver Wind, but paralysis kicked in and forced it to stop moving momentarily.  
Seeing the opportunity, Magneton began to amass orange-yellow energy in the center of its body (Hyper Beam). Scizor caught this, proceeded to charge up orange-yellow energy in its right claw, aimed it at Magneton, and prayed that Paralysis wouldn't cost it the match.

The duo of Steel-types fired tremendous Hyper Beams. The powerful attacks collided and immediately elicited an explosion that engulfed both Scizor and Magneton. Eventually, the smoke subsided to reveal them with swirls replacing their eyes/irises.

"Wow, what a battle." Ash complimented, "Those two were seriously strong."

"Thanks, Ash." Aaron replied recalling Scizor and Magneton in their Pokeballs, "Like all trainers, I treat my Pokemon with the utmost care. However, I do special training with them so that they get extra benefits."

_"Really? Then this may be a hard contest with Aaron competing."_ Ash thought.


	3. Pokemon Contest Part 1

**Disclaimer: **Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). The only thing I own present in this story is Aaron Shadow.

**The Pokemon Contest Part 1 **

Less than an hour later, the Jubilife City Pokemon Contest was now underway with a packed audience in attendance. The MC appeared in the middle of the stage; an orange-haired lady named Marian.

"Welcome one and all to the Jubilife City Pokemon Super Contest!" She greeted through the microphone, causing the crowd to cheer loudly and proudly.

Backstage, Ash, Brock, and Aaron watching via the small TV positioned on the ceiling. They watched as Marian continued, "Today, coordinators and Pokemon are here not only for the appreciation of their skills, but the grand prize, the Jubilife City Contest Ribbon." She held up the coveted orange and peach colored ribbon that was adorned with a gold attachment, letting shine in the sun.

Backstage again, the male trio suddenly realized that Dawn wasn't present or anywhere to be found. "Hey, anybody know where Dawn is?" Ash surveyed. "The contest has started and she's late." Brock said.

With Dawn in the dressing rooms, she was currently fussing over her hair which was completely out of its normal shape. "I can't get this into the mirror!" She groaned struggling to keep the hair in perfect position in the mirror.

Then, the same scarlet-haired female from before came out of nowhere as she asked, "Do you need any help?" Dawn turned around and looked at her intently; she was wearing a white captain-like suit with gold buttons and lines. "Oh, it's you." She turned back around and let the girl do her hair. "Thanks for the choker earlier. My name's Dawn, who are you?" Dawn said.

"It's Zoey." The girl, now identified as Zoey, answered.

"So, it this you first contest?" Dawn continued.

"No. I've actually competed in another contest and won." Zoey explained presenting a ribbon.

"You already have experience...This is my first contest and, to you tell you the truth, I'm nervous." Dawn stated looking at the ribbon her mother gave her before her journey began.

"Don't be. Just do you best and feel proud." Zoey encouraged, "There, finished." She declared.

"Thanks." She appreciated clutching the ribbon. "I hope to meet you in the finals." She proclaimed, but found out Zoey was mysteriously gone.

Meanwhile, Ash was introduced on stage, thus beginning his performance.

"Let's go, Aipom!" He said, throwing a Clear Ball-wrapped Pokeball. The white light materialized the small monkey Pokemon, Aipom, out of stars. "Swift!" He commanded. Aipom's hand glowed and whipped it around a full 360-degrees, letting a shower of stars hit the ground.

"Double Team, then Focus Punch!" Ash commanded. "Aipom! Aipom! Aipom!" It chattered as illusionary clones of itself were produced. Then all the Aipoms' hands illuminated an ivory color as they balled into a fist and smashed the star-filled ground. This made the Swift shoot up to the skies and disperse into little yellow crystals.

"An amazing performance Ash Ketchum has given us. Give it up for him." Marina said, later followed by the cheering and applauding.

"An original and impressive act, indeed." Mr. Contesa complimented.

"I agree. It must've took some coordination to pull that off." Nurse Joy commented.

"A good performance, to say the least." Aaron critiqued as he watched Ash's performance from backstage.

"Isn't your appeal next?" Brock asked, looking at the brunette.

"I haven't forgotten." Aaron replied calmly and then walked out. As he was on his way to the stage, he met up with Ash in the hallway, "Nice job, Ash," he commented..

"Thanks! Good luck to you, Aaron." Ash replied as he walked past the more experienced trainer and coordinator.

"Next up, Aaron from Metropolis Town!" Marian introduced as the curtains opened to reveal Aaron with arms crossed and a confident look and smile. He tipped his hat a bit and threw out a Clear Ball-wrapped Pokeball. It popped open with a flurry of lightning bolts coming out; soon after, his Magneton was materialized for the crowd to see.

"There's his Magneton." Brock proclaimed. "Yeah. Oh! I forgot to check it." Dawn exclaimed in realization, getting her pink PokeDex.

**"Magneton: The Magnet Pokemon, and the evolved form of Magnemite. The magnetism and electrical fields Magneton produces is said to short out power plants."**

"Magneton launch a Zap Cannon up to the sun." Aaron directed, pointing up the open sun. Magneton charged a green electrical ball and fired up the blinding sun. "Hit it with Hyper Beam." Aaron commanded. Magneton titled its body up to the sun-blinded Zap Cannon, proceeded to charge orange-yellow energy, and discharged a Hyper Beam.

"I don't know what Aaron is trying to prove, but it looks like he's rolling the dice trying to hit that Zap Cannon." Marina stated. On cue, there was an electrical explosion. Smalls but plentiful green sparks rained down, completely covering the perimeter of the stage. Apparently, the Hyper Beam was able to perfectly hit the Zap Cannon; Magneton and Aaron bowed at the audience, signaling the end of their performance.

"That performance requires a great deal of accuracy. Judges?" Marina stated.

"Not only that but it proves someone has been practicing and rapt training. Those are valued aspects in Pokemon Contests." Mr. Contesa stated.

"It takes really hard practice to accomplish such a blinding maneuver." Nurse Joy commented.

"That's going to be really hard to beat." Ash said pensively as he watched Aaron and Magneton exit the stage.

"It obvious he's done this before." Brock said. Dawn stared in awe as she eyed the newly discovered experienced trainer. It was going to be tough beating him. Then she thought if he was even beatable. Aaron completely exited the stage. His departure allowed the next contestant to come up; to Ash and Brock's surprise, it was Zoey.

"It's her again!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's Zoey. She told me her name before the contest." Dawn informed.

"Let's go!" Zoey shouted, throwing out her chosen Pokeball. The Clear Ball encompassing the red and white mechanism made smoke come out, concealing her chosen Pokemon.

"Double Team." She commanded. If seen, the Pokemon would have made illusionary clones of itself. "Psychic," she followed up. The smoke suddenly was forcibly separated into gaseous purple spheres. In the midst of it all were multiple clones of a Misdreavus, their eyes glowing light blue to signify the usage of Psychic.

"A Misdreavus?" Dawn catechized to herself before taking out her pink PokeDex to examine the pure Ghost-type Pokemon.

**"Misdreavus: The Screech Pokemon. It gets nourishment from fear that it absorbs in its red orbs. In daytime, it sleeps in darkness." **

"Now Shock Wave." Zoey commanded. Electricity released from the main red orb of the Misdreavuses' "necklace" scattered, destroying the smoke balls in a flurry of purple and gold sparks and showers. The sudden disapperance of all of Misdreavus' clones only supplemented the climax of the performance. The audience cheered wildly as Zoey and Misdreavus bowed and departed.

"What a great performance by Zoey. Now for our next contestant, Dawn! She comes from Twinleaf Town and this is her first time. So let's give her some sympathy and support." Marian announced. The curtain was lifted seconds later to reveal a highly nervous Dawn, teeth gritting and everything.

"Go. Piplup." Dawn called out and threw out her Clear Ball-wrapped Pokeball, hoping that her prior practice and ambitions would guide her safely through her first-ever Pokemon Contest.


	4. Pokemon Contest Part 2

Me: Back from the hiatus.

**Disclaimer: **(I'm getting tired of saying this stuff) I don't own Pokemon just Aaron Shadow.

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**The Pokemon Contest** **Part 2**

Piplup appeared out of Pokeball out of bubbles. "Bubblebeam!" Dawn hesitantly commanded. Piplup threw fired fast streams of bubbles in the air from it's mouth. "Now Peck!" She continued as Piplup's beak grew 2x its normal size. Piplup jumps up and rapidly thrusts its Peck attack at the bubbles. They all popped as blue sprinkles drifted down.

"What amazing performance by a first-comer. Let's give her a hand!" Marian said as audience applauded. "That concludes this round's performances. Stay tuned as entrants will be decided on who goes to the next road." Marian informed. Dawn went backstage with Aaron, Ash, Brock, and the other competitors.

"That was a pretty good performance, Dawn, for a first-timer." Aaron acknowledged.

"Thanks, Aaron." Dawn replied blushing a bit for from the nervousness and flattery.

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio was outside with Jesse in one of her "Jessedia" masquerade meaning she was in the contest, too. "Why I let you use my Carnivine for this contest, I'll never know." James complained.

"Oh, stow it! I needed a different Pokemon to compete in the second rounds." Jesse spat.

"What makes you think you're going to be in the second rounds?" Meowth interrogated.

"Because I want to put twerps in their place!" Jesse responded.

"That's not a very good answer." Meowth sighed.

"But that's Jesse." James emphasized correspondently. Jesse returned backstage for the people who were moving and pairings. Dawn was holding her breath in suspense as Ash and Aaron were waiting. Along with Zoey was farther off in the room, plus, Jessedia. Looking at the screen pictures of people appeared. Aaron was in 3rd. Zoey was 4th. Ash was 7th. Jessedia was 10th. Then the 12th place spot had a dramatic pause making Dawn gulp. Then her picture appeared in 12th place. Dawn breathed again as she feel to the floor out of relief.

"Wow, that was intense." Dawn spoke softly.

Zoey offered a hand to help her up. "That's was a great presentation, Dawn." She congratulated.

"Why, thank you, Zoey." Dawn received again blushing slightly from the flattery.

"I hope we do very well in the next round." Zoey continued.

"Dawn, the pairings are up next." Brock notified. The same picture cards were shuffled digitally. Ash wounded fighting Zoey in the first round.

"Looks like I'm fighting her in the next round. It sure is a lot of fun adding Gym Battles with Pokemon Contests." Ash said. Zoey overheard as she glared at him and walked over to him. "Hey, Zoey, I wish you good luck." He said.

Zoey disregarded this. "Ash, you are going for the Sinnoh League?" She interrogated.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Then you really shouldn't interfere with Contests; Gym Battle and Pokemon Contest are different. You should never compare them." Zoey compromised. Ash seemed fumed at this.

Nearby, Jesse was eavesdropping on all of this, smirking. "Well, it's about time to twerps had stern talking to." She said discreetly.

Back onstage, the battle was about to begin. "Now, let's this 2nd round battle. We have Ash battling against Zoey. Let the battle begin!" Marian declared.

"Go, Aipom!" Ash exclaimed throwing Aipom's clear-wrapped Pokeball with a Star Seal on it making an enthusiastic Aipom come in stars. "Aipom." He purple monkey Pokemon chattered.

"Go, Glameow!" Zoey threw her Pokeball as Glameow appeared out of pink petals. Glameow purred as it got in it's attacking stance

"Here we go! Aipom, Go!" Ash commanded. Aipom rushed over to the cat Pokemon

"Glameow, stay put." Zoey commanded as Glameow sat down in the casual cat way.

"Wanna sit down? Fine by me!" Ash responded. "Aipom, Focus Punch!" Aipom's light yellow tail hand glew white and balled into a fist ready to punch the cat Pokemon.

"Glameow, grab it." She ordered and Glameow's coiled tail stops Focus Punch cold in it's track. Ash was surprised. "Now throw Aipom." Glameow then used it's tail to throw Aipom across the arena.

"Aipom, get up and use Swift!" Ash ordered and Aipom's tail hand glew yellow and swished it raining down lightning fast stars hitting Glameow and Zoey's points decreasing.

"Glameow, use Fury Swipe."

"Aipom, Double Team!" Glameow extracted claws from her paws but Aipom clone itself confusing Glameow of who to attack. "Use Swift again!" Ash commanded as the clones retracted back to the orginal fired the stars.

"Glameow, jump into the air!" Zoey ordered. Glameow and used its claws to to redirect Swift back at Aipom, knocking it back. The two trainers face off and so does their Pokemon.

Ash gritted his teeth and commanded, "Aipom, Focus Punch!" Aipom's tail hand balled into a fist and illuminated rushing toward Glameow.

"Glameow, Iron Tail!" Zoey commanded as Glameow's tail glowed and hardened and blocked Focus Punch, making thier attacks locked together trying to push each other back..

"Look! It's an even match." Ash proclaimed.

"Uh, not quite." Zoey reassured. "Straighten your tail." Glameow's coiled tail straigthened smashing into Aipom's face and knocking it into the ground. 29 seconds are on the clock. Zoey smirked and thought, _"I've got this won."_

"Aipom, you've gotta get up! Do your best!" Ash motivated. Aipom nodded and got up. "Now give me a Focus Punch." He ordered. Aipom rushed at Glameow, ready.

Again, Zoey smirked. "Use Shadow Claw." Glameow's paw had a strange dark power.

_"Shadow Claw?" _Ash thought then smiled. _"That's a Ghost-type attack. It won't have an effect on Normal-types."_

"Wait. Shadow Claw's a ghost-type attack, it won't hurt Aipom." Dawn realized what Ash is thinking.

"I don't think so. Zoey must have a reason for calling out this maneuver." Brock explained, unconvinced. Shadow Claw and Focus Punch collide. Focus Punch overpowers it and continues foward.

"Jump!" Zoey commanded as Glameow jumped high over Aipom and evading Focus Punch.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed in disbelief.

"Now Iron Tail." She ordered. Glameow's tail straightened, illuminated, and hardened, slamming a harsh Iron Tail now Aipom pushing it back. 9 seconds is on the clock. _"It's over."_ She predicted mentally.

"I'm not going to give up. No matter how much is on the clock." Ash vowed. "Focus Punch, maximum power!" He ordered. Aipom's tail hand readied to deliever the attack. Zoey and Glameow were taken aback, unable to do anything.

"Out of nowhere, Aipom's comes with a Focus Punch. Will that one attack turn around this whole battle?" Marian replied. The attack was just about to Glameow square in the face but... "And the time is out!" the MC announced, "And the winner is Zoey!" The crowd then applauded. Zoey snapped out of here daze and bowed to the audience along with Glameow.

Back in the coordinator room, Ash comes back. "That was a real great battle, Ash." Dawn congratulated. At this, Zoey walks up.

"That was a real great battle, Zoey." Ash congratulated as well. Zoey just stares at him, unimpresed. Ash was baffled.

However..."I was only impressed by how close the battle was especially the last Focus Punch, I couldn't counter to it." Zoey explained now smiling. "Otherwise, it was a great battle." They shooked hands as a sign of sportsmanship.

"Thanks, Zoey. The reason why I entered was because of Aipom." Ash explained.

Dawn backed him up, "Yeah. Aipom really wanted to battle. Zoey turned to the Pokemon in question who was snacking away on Pokemon food. Not soon after, the next battle rounds were beginning. Aaron's Scizor was firing a Hyper Beam at an Altaria. Dawn's Buneary was battling a Swalot, which is frozen by an Ice Beam. Jesse has a Rhydon constricted by Carnivine. The semifinal pairings were made: Zoey vs. Dawn and Jesse vs. Aaron.

Onstage, Dawn took a deep breath. _"This battle will decide who will go to the finals." _The screen showed thier point meters and five seconds on the clock.

"Let the battle begin!" Marian signaled.

"Buneary, spotlight!" Dawn threw Buneary's Pokeball and it appeared out of a burst of cherry bollossoms

"Glameow, curtain." Zoey threw Glameow's Pokeball in response.

"Buneary, Ice Beam!" Dawn commanded as Buneary launced a snowy beam right at Glameow.

"Glameow, Shadow Claw!" Zoey reacted. Glameow's tail was surrounded by dark energy in the shape of a claw.

"Wait a minute! Buneary's a Normal-type. It won't be hurt by Shadow Claw!" Dawn noted to Zoey.

"Who said I was going to use it as an attack?" Zoey stated. The Shadow Claw grabbed and ripped thru the Ice Beam without difficulty making Dawn lose points.

Dawn quickly regain her cool, "Attack again, Buneary." She ordered.

"Jump, Glameow." Zoey ordered. Glamoew used her coiled tail to jump high in the air. "Fury Swipes." Another command came out as Glameow came down scratching Buneay sending it flying back. Zoey used this to her advantage. "Iron Tail!" Glameow's hardened tail come straight to Buneary.

"Buneary, try and stop it!" Buneay caught the attack in between its ears.

_"Impressive..." _Zoey psychologically complimented. _"However, it won't be enough." _Zoey, then aloud, commanded, "Glameow, spin you tail!" Glameow started to spin its tail with Buneary.

"Buneay, uh-oh!" Dawn reacted in distraught. Glameow threw away Buneary. "Buneary, Ice Beam!" She countered. Buneary then discharged the cold ray at Glameow, however, it jupmed evading but the Ice Beam freezed the floor and Glameow looses its footing when coming down. Zoey gasped at this."Dizzy Punch!" Buneary jumped over to Glameow ears glowing tri-colored smashing them against Glameow who is slipping on the icy floor. "Now Bounce!" Buneay jumped back and jumped foward again bouncing on Glameow repeatedly still slipping on the slippery floor.

"Got to stop this. Shadow Claw!" Glameow's paw gaines the dark energy and shreds the ice sending chunks of it at Buneary pushing it back. Dawn's points are lowed further. "Iron Tail!" Glameow smashed the tail on Buneary, going backwards again.

"C'mon, Buneary, please get up." Dawn pleaded. As Buneay just was doing that, the timer ran out.

"Time's up! And our winner is...Zoey! Who's going to the final round." Marian annouced. Zoey and Glameow turned to the raging crowd and bowed.

Dawn pat Buneary on the head. "It's OK, Buneary, you did just great." She comforted.

"That battle was full of twists and turns. Nonetheless, that was a great battle." Mr. Contesta praised.

"Yes. Truly remarkable." Mr. Sukizo commented.

"I agree with them. That was one of the greatest Contest Battle I'll ever see." Nurse Joy stated.

Not soon after, Dawn called her mother, Johanna. "Hi, mom." She greeted disappointed. Then she started to cry.

"Stop your crying." She demanded, Dawn obeyed wiping them away. "It's all right, Dawn. You came all this way. You shouldn't be so disappointed about that." Johanna continued

"Thanks, ma." Dawn recieved cheering up a bit.

"One more thing. You shouldn't be calling every time in a contest. You have your friends, Ash, Brock, and Aaron. You should talk to them instead of me. Plus, I'll be watching your contests on TV. Now go cheer Zoey and Aaron on." Johanna said.

"OK." That was Dawn's only response. Then gasped in realization, "Aaron's match! I completely forgot about him! Bye, mom." Dawn departed turning off the video phone. She ment Ash, Brock, and Zoey in the coordinator room watching Aaron's match. Currently, Carnivine has Scizor consticted with it on one knee.

"OK, Carnivine, Bite!" Jesse ordered as Carnivine opened it's big mouth ready to chomp on Scizor.

"Protect." Aaron commnded softly. Scizor's outline glew green and a shield appeared, immediately releasing Scizor from Carnivine's Wrap and Bite. "Now jump in the air." Scizor then jumped in the air.

"Bullet Seed, toute suite!" Jesse demanded as Carnivine again opened its mouth firing bullet-fast seeds.

"Silver Wind." Aaron ordered. Scizor's wings illuminated flapping the silvery gust of wind cancelling Bullet Seed and scoring a good hit on Carnivine. The Venus'-

Flytrap-like plant had swirls in his eyes meaning inability to battle anymore.

"Aw, and Carnvine is out with only 30 seconds left on the clock. Oh, well. Our next finalist is Aaron Shadow." Marian declared.

"Oh, boy." Meowth groused, "Jesse's going to fumin' 'bout this."

"Better get some earplugs. And then it's back to buisness with us." James agreed.

"All right, audience, this is what you've been waiting for. The Pokemon Contest Finals. In one corner, we have Aaron. And in the other we have Zoey." Marian proclaimed as the crowd cheered. "Let the battle begin!"

"Scizor, let's go!" Aaron threw Scizor's Pokeball and it appeared out of silver sparkles.

"Glameow, curtain." Zoey threw Glameow's Pokeball in response.

"Here we go. Scizor, Metal Claw!" Aaron commanded. Scizor's claws glew and sped to Glameow.

"Glameow, Shadow Claw." Glameow's tail become a dark claw and strucked Metal Claw in a deadlock.

"Use you free hand!" Aaron ordered. Scizor used his other Metal Claw and thrust it to Glameow.

"Jump!" Zoey ordered and Glameow jumped to avoid contact from either Metal Claw. "Iron Tail!" Glameow's tail hardened and went to smash it against Scizor.

"Hurry and use Protect!" Ash rushed commandingly. Too late Iron Tail hit Sczior before he could put up Protect. Zoey smirked. "OK. Scizor, Silver Wind!" He commanded. Scizor's wings flew and released the silvery wind.

"Go through it." Zoey countered. Glame jumped the Silver Wind twirling in it.

_"What is she up too?"_ Aaron thought. "Hyper Beam!" He ordered aloud. Scizor gathered the yellow and light orange energy and discharged it from one of its claws.

"Get out of it and use Shadow Claw." Zoey commanded still smirking. Glameow jumped of Silver Wind and Hyper Beam hit it causing Aaron to lose points again.

_"That Glameow's fast." _Aaron thought. "Metal Claw!" Glameow again was close up to Scizor. Scizor barely evaded by using its claw to tilt him which surprised Zoey and made Aaron smirk.

Zoey calmed herself. "Coil your tail." Glameow's Shadow Clawed tail coil grabbing Metal Claw.

Aaron was surprised this time. "Hyper Beam!"

"Hurry and throw Scizor!" Sczior charged up the energy to discharge but Glameow threw Scizor away making him off balance. Scizor used its other to touch the floor and regain a stable balance and fired Hyper Beam hitting Glameow.

Aaron breathed again. "Glameow!" Zoey called out to. Glameow was OK. Zoey lost points.

"Whoa, that Scizor is really good." Ash commented. The others were in the stands.

"Aaron must have trained Scizor to have good balance and flexibility even in unstable conditions." Brock explained.

"Well, I did see him train with Magneton and Scizor before the contest started." Ash added.

"We're seeing how he got to the finals." Dawn said.

"Iron Tail!" Zoey commanded as Glameow's tail straightened and hardened and swished it to the Scizor.

"Protect!" Aaron reacted as a green shield appeared over Scizor completely blocking Iron Tail.

"These two coordinators are giving there all-out best. With that points almost equally indenitcal." Marian announced.

"Hyper Beam!" Aaron muttered his order. Scizor fired the beam.

"Shadow Claw!" Zoey reacted. Glameow's shadow-induced tail and grabbed and ripped Hyper Beam, decreasing Aaron's points again. Aaron's points were more than halfway depleted while Zoey's were less than halfway.

_"Hmm. I have to figure out a way to attack without Zoey countering it." _Aaron thought. "Scizor, lay low." Aaron commanded. Scizor lowed his claws, eyeing Glameow's every movement.

_"What is he up to?"_ Zoey thought. "Oh, well. Glameow, Fury Swipes!" Glameow charged at Scizor, claws extracted. Scizor and Aaron waited for Glameow. Just before Glameow slashed Fury Swipes, Zoey heared Aaron's counter, "Grab them." Scizor's claws grabbed Glameow's paws, shocking them both.

"I got ya now. Silver Wind!" Aaron commanded.

"Iron Tail!" Zoey ordered pressured. Silver Wind was released from Scizor's wings. It was to fast for Glameow's Iron Tail to strike. Scizor let go of her paws as she flew back but with Iron Tail still in effect.

"I see what Aaron was doing." Brock realized

"OK. What then?" Dawn questioned.

"The reason why Zoey countered all of Aaron's attacks was because he attacked first and were long-range. Aaron told Scizor to stay were he was waiting for either Fury Swipes or Shadow Claw. Then he grabbed it and you know that rest from there." Brock clarified.

"Wow, that's smat thinking." Ash replied. The scores where even: the last ¼ of their points and 30 seconds remaining.

"It all comes down to this." Zoey thought aloud.

"No time for slacking off now." Aaron thought aloud.

"Iron Tail!"

"Metal Claw!" Scizor's claw illuminated white and Glameow's tail illumniated white and hardened. The two fast Pokemon rushed at each other colliding the two mighty Steel-type attacks. It's a deadlock stalemate. Points decreasing correspondently as it continued.

"10 seconds left." Marian publicized.

"If neither of them do something, both of their points will deplete." Brock noted.

_"What to do, what to do, what to do?" _Aaron and Zoey thought as it kept racing through their minds. Half of the last ¼ points was gone after the struggle. Both of thier Pokemon were tired from their struggle. Scizor was reduced to one knee making Aaron grit his teeth. Glameow was lowered down her regular height making Zoey gasp. The struggle ceased as they fell to the ground, still able to battle. With just two inches of points left on there meters.

"3, 2..." Marian counted down. Just before she said one, Scizor got on his second knee holding himself by one claw but Glameow fell down with swirls of discontinuity. X's appeared on the judge's screens.

"Just before the time runs out and poins gone. Glameow is unable to battle. Ladies and gentlemen, our winner is Aaron of Metropolis Town." Marian announced. Aaron was still in disbelief, however, he snapped out of it, sauntered over to Scizor and they gave a bow. Aaron looked at Zoey, she did too. She walked over to Aaron.

"Thanks a great battle, Aaron." Zoey congratulated.

"You too." Aaron congratulated back as they shook hands. Glameow used its tail to shake Scizor's claw. The audience roared with applause.

Not soon after, Aaron was onstage to recieve his ribbon. "Ladies and gentlemen, our Jubelife City Contest Winner, Aaron Shadow of Metropolis. Let's give him a hand!" Marian proclaimed as the crowd roared again. Aaron held up the orange/peach colored ribbon.

At sunset, people were leaving after witnessing an extraordinary contest. Dawn, Ash, Brock, and Zoey were present outside. "That was a really great, Zoey." Dawn commented on their battle.

"Thanks, Dawn. I enjoyed it too." Zoey replied. Then Aaron came out the doors holding in his travel, eyes hidden under his eyes. "Well, well, well, look who it is."

"Hey, everyone." Aaron greeted.

"That battle we had was very exciting." Zoey said.

"It was probably the closest match I'll ever see." Ash stated.

"It could happen to you guys. You never know." Aaron responded.

"Listen, Zoey. I may have lost to you today but I will get stronger. And when that happens, I'll beat you." Dawn vowed then turning to Aaron, "And that goes for you too, Aaron." Aaron chuckled leaving, tipping his hat, and saying, "I'll be waiting."

"Ill be waiting for that moment, too, Dawn. In the meantime..." Zoey started putting on her sunglasses on, "...take care." Zoey then departed.

"Bye, Zoey!" Dawn waved a goodbye. Zoey put her hand up without looking back.

"Looks like you've found yourself two rivals." Ash said. Dawn looked at them departing.

_"That Dawn. What spunk. Too bad I couldn't fight her for myself. It'd be interesting to see what strategies she has. Oddly, I can feel this interest about her. What's that about?" _Aaron thought.


	5. More of His Abilities

**Disclaimer:** (I'm getting tired of saying this stuff) I don't own Pokemon just Aaron Shadow

**More of his Abilities**

Ash, Dawn, and Brock arrived at Oreburgh City, a mining city with it's own coal mine and a museum that revives fossilized remains of ancient Pokemon. This was also the location of the first Pokemon League Gym, the leader was Roark, a Rock-type enthusiast. Ash was the person now ecstatic, ready to get his first badge. Soon afterwards, the gang arrived at the Gym, a building made of rocks, further implying the Rock-type specialty. Then a dark fuchsia kid was standing outside. "How look it's Paul!" Ash exclaimed.

Paul was Ash's Sinnoh rival, his powerhouse Elekid was standing beside him. He turned around the see Ash's 'pathetic' (his thoughts) group. "Oh, it's you." He started unenthusiastically.

"Have you come here to challenge the Gym?" Dawn inquired.

"Yeah, but another battle is about to begin." Paul declared.

"Someone else challenged the Gym?" The trio asked again in disbelief.

"Can't you losers hear?" Paul sassed and then said, "Well, I'm just leaving till it's over. Just go inside." Paul then exited with his eyes closed.

"Well, since this person is also gunning for the Sinnoh League, you might go and learn from your opponent, Ash." Brock suggested.

"That's a great idea." Ash commented. They walked into the building to see a rocky battlefield. And the leader, Roark, was red-headed and had on a coal-mining outfit, the challenger worn a silver hat...

"Wait...That silver hat..." Dawn thought then exclaimed aloud, "HEY! What's Aaron doing here!"

"AARON?" The males responded.

Aaron's eyes drifted to the trio. "Hey, guys, what's up?" He greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Ash asked.

Aaron rubbed the back of his head embarrassed, "Oh, did I forget to mention that I was partaking in the Sinnoh League?"

"You must be Ash. I'm Roark, the Gym Leader here. But we have to talk another time." Roark introduced now preparing for the challenge. Ash, Dawn, Brock took thier seats in the stands.

"The battle between Roark, the Gym Leader and the challenger, Aaron will now. The particpants may use three Pokemon, only the challenger may make substitutions. Begin!" The green-haired referee explained and declared.

"Geodude, come on out!" Roark threw out his Pokmon materializing a Geodude, techinically a rock with arms, a mouth, and eyes and levitates.

"Prinplup, I choose you!" Aaron selected a blue penguin-like creature. His torso implies it was a wearing a coat and it's fins were blade-edged.

"Geodude, Rollout." Roark commanded. Geodude rolled in a fast pace. Aaron and Prinplup waited and waited and waited...

"Jump!" Aaron alerted. Prinplup jumped making Geodude run into a rock. "Now Water Pulse." Prinplup's blade-edged fins and face plates shined a beautiful blue and sprouted a large water typhoon. It splashed hard on Geodude. "Finally, Metal Claw..." It's fins turned grey and hardened and dashed to Geodude.

"Geodude, Hidden Power!" Geodude was surrounded in an atom-like white figure and launched a white beam, striking Prinplup.

"Prinplup!" Aaron called. Prinplup was smash into a rock.

"Use Rollout again!" Roark commanded. "Geodude!" It responded rolling at a faster rate.

"Prinplup, Aerial Ace!" Aaron demanded. Prinplup dashed at the rolling Geodude with wind passing sharply. They collided with Geodude skidding back and Prinplup smashing into another rock.

"Why'd he use Aerial Ace if Rollout still did that much damage?" Ash asked Brock.

"Well, Rollout gets stronger the more you use it. He used Aerial Ace to disrupt the increased damage amount." Brock explained.

"Wow, that's pretty smart..." Dawn whispered acknowledging Aaron's expertise.

"Alright, Geodude, Stealth Rock!" Roark ordered. Geodude's outline glowed white and some sharp objects spewed out.

"Aerial Ace to bypass it!" Aaron commanded. Prinplup did just that unaffected by Stealth Rock.

"It missed!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Actually, it's suppose to do something besides that..." Brock corrected, befuddling Ash and Dawn.

"Metal Claw!" Aaron demanded as it used that Aerial Ace dash and slashed it's hardened claws on Geodude's face.

"Rollout, now!" Roark ordered. Geodude used it's hands to dig in the ground, regaining balance and spun rapidly then advancing toward Prinplup.

"Hold on, now." Aaron muttered, "Water Pulse..." Prinplup's outline illuminated blue and rotated in a tornado spin, unleashing a deadly water twister. It stopped Geodude's spin and gave it the critical damage. Geodude's eyes, as as he fell, had swirls of discontinuity.

"Geodude is unable to battle, Prinplup is the winner." The referee declared.

Roark returned the fainted Geodude to its Pokeball. "You did good, Geodude, rest now." He whispered to its Pokeball. He got another Pokeball. " OK, Onix, go!" He threw out Pokeball, the white light materialized a long, rocky, snake-like creature.

"Hey, look, Onix." Ash exclaimed.

"So, that's an Onix?" Dawn said, getting out her Pink PokeDex.

"Onix, the rock snake Pokemon. When Onix travels underground, it causes rumbling and tremors. It can move at 50 mph." The PokeDex explained.

"OK then." Aaron said silently. He returned Prinplup into it's Pokeball. "Steelix, come on out." Aaron threw out the Pokeball revealing Onix's evolved form, Steelix. It's exterior was a hard metal with spike protrusions on its body used to dig. Its head and mandible expanded horizontally.

"Wow, a Steelix!" Brock exlcaimed.

"He's using Onix's evolved form against it." Ash stated.

Dawn checked it out on her PokeDex. "Steelix, the iron snake Pokemon. Steelix chews its way through broulders with its sturdy jaws. It's eyes can see thru darkness." The PokeDex described. Then that Stealth Rock from Geodude appeared stabbed Steelix causing (minimal) damage.

"Hey, wait a minute what just happened?" Ash shouted quizzically.

"That was Stealth Rock. It hits any Pokemon that comes in the battle." Brock explained.

Aaron just smiled, knowing that Stealth Rock weakens on Pokemon that resist Rock-types. "Use Iron Tail..." Aaron muttered the order. Steelix's tail hardened and slithered to Onix.

"Onix, go undergroud to dodge." Roark alerted. Immediately, Onix drilled underground to avoid that devastating tail, which hit the ground missing the target.

"No where to run." Aaron thought. "Earthquake." Steelix slammed its tail again but this time unleashed a terrible tremor underground. Onix immediately shot up from underground in pain. "Got'cha." Aaron declared rather smugly. Roark growled in response at the counter.

"With that Earthquake, Roark's Onix has no where to go." Brock explained the obivous. (A/N: But then again, they always point the obvious in the anime.)

"Then that means this is good as done." Dawn foretold, more so as a guess really.

"Steelix, Iron Tail." Steelix attempted another harsh Iron Tail onto it's preevolved form.

"Onix, Screech!" Roark demanded. Onix let out a harsh noice from it's mouth in the form of a bluish white beam. It disrupted Iron Tail again and Steelix cringed from the 'nails on a chalkboard' noise. "Now Slam." Onix then jumped its evolved form slamming into it hard with full force.

Aaron face got more serious. Then smiled, "Hyper Beam..." He said in a husky whisper. Steelix's eyes shot opened and fired a full-force Hyper Beam on onto Onix's rock-hard exterior. It fell back fainting.

"Onix is unable to battle. Steelix is the winner." The ref declared.

"You were right, Dawn." Ash confirmed amazed actually.

"No need to worry. It's instinct." Dawn said all-knowingly.

"Uh-oh." The boys thought correspodently. When Dawn says no need to worry, that's when people worry the most. Something's gonna happen.

"All right. Cranidos, you're my last hope!" The Pokeball was thrown revealing a small Pokemon. It's cranium was blue, hard as steel, the rest of his body was grey (except its tail which is blue too), red eyes. "Cranidos!" It bellowed.

"That's a new Pokemon I've seen." Ash thought aloud. He checked the Pokemon out on his red PokeDex.

"Cranidos, the Head Butt Pokemon. Using it's head, which is hard as iron, it can easily break any structure." The PokeDex described the ancient Pokemon.

"Guess I'll stay as it is." Aaron announced.

"Don't take my Cranidos lightly just because its small compared to your Steelix." Roark warned.

"I don't just assume things about my opponents." Aaron corrected.

"OK, then Cranidos, Zen Headbutt!" Roark commanded. Cranidos's blue skull glowed translucent and jumped to Steelix.

"Iron Tail!" Aaron commanded. It smashed its Iron Tail onto Cranidos's Zen Headbutt. The attacks cancelled each other out.

"Now Flamethrower!" Roark demanded.

"Say what now?" Aaron inquired completely perplexed. Cranidos unleashed a fiery flare of flames making contact onto Steelix's iron-hard exterior, give it a melting feeling.

"Cranidos can learn Flamethrower?" Ash was perplexed as well as Aaron was.

"Now Steelix is in trouble." Dawn said it in a pratically whiny tone.

"Now Zen Headbutt one more time!" Roark ordered. Cranidos slammed the mental headbutt onto Steelix, and then Steelix fainted.

"Steelix is unable to battle. Cranidos is the winner." The referee anounced.

Aaron returned his Steelix and got out another Pokeball. "Prinplup, it's your turn again!" The Pokeball materialized Prinplup again.

"Begin the battle!" The referee noted.

"Water Pulse!" Aaron commanded. Prinplup's outline became a transculent blue and sent out a watery shockwave.

"Shoot right thru it with Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Cranidos did exactly that, shot right through the surge and slammed its Zen Headbutt onto Prinplup. It rolled into a stone. "Follow it up with Headbutt!" Cranidos charged at Prinplup with it's head down.

"Metal Claw!" Aaron commanded. Prinplup's fins hardened and slice Cranidos's skull disrupting Headbutt. "Now Water Pulse again!" Prinplup unleashed the shockwave surge. This time, it was close-range.

"Time for my last resort. Head Smash!" Roark demanded. Cranidos was surrounded by a blue wind-like aura only showing it's broadened outline. It shot right in the Water Pulse, evaporating it and smashed it's head onto Prinplup, crushing two rocks in it's skid. The predictable result, Prinplup fainted.

"Prinplup!" Aaron called out to, rather distraughtly.

"Prinplup is unable to battle. Cranidos is the winner!" The green-haired referee declared.

"What was that?" Ash inquired shocked.

"That was Head Smash. It's Cranidos's ultimate attack. It's very powerful but it causes damage to the user, much like Pikachu's Volt Tackle." Brock made clear.

"But now, Cranidos has gotten rid of Aaron's Pokemon. Two in a row." Dawn stated.

Aaron returned Prinplup and got his last permitted Pokeball. "It's all up to you now, my friend." Aaron whispered. He threw it, the Pokeball opened revealing Magneton, his first Pokemon (as Magnemite though).

"Begin the battle!" The referee signaled.

"This is it! Cranidos, Flamethrower!" Roark commanded, making the first attack. Cranidos unleashed it's Flamethrower from its mouth.

"Dodge it." Aaron ordered. Magneton sidestepped the gush of flames. "Now Thunder!" Magneton's magnets unleashed a tremendous bolt of electricity, nailing Cranidos head-on, also causing paralysis. But that paralysis was immediately shaken off. "How come Thunder's paralyzing effect disappeared?" Aaron inquired.

"That's Cranidos's ability, Mold Breaker, with that there's no chance of you paralyzing it." Roark explained. "Onto to the battle, Zen Headbutt!" Cranidos charged at Magneton, head glowing blue.

"Lock-On!" Aaron demanded. A red lock-on signal appeared on Cranidos's head. Magneton, again dodged Zen Headbutt. "Zap Cannon." Magneton discharged a green ball of electricity, striking Cranidos. Then Mold Breaker shook off the immediate paralysis effect. "Hyper Beam!" The orange yellow (or vice verse) beam connect against Cranidos.

"Cranidos! No!" Roark cried out. Cranidos was wobbling in it's stance. "Hang in their, Cranidos! This attack will be sure-fire winner. Head Smash!" Cranidos was sent by that blue wind-like aura again and charged at Magneton. Neither did anything. Magneton took Head Smash head-on. Cranidos was pushing it back like a football player. At first, Magneton was pained then it's eyes affixed like person if he/she was smirking.

Aaron was smirking. "Thunder..." A enormous electrical blasts disrupted and enveloped Cranidos and Magneton. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the light. The outcome, Cranidos was a burnt brown and black, Magneton was shaking from the equally powerful Head Smash but Cranidos gave first.

"Cranidos is unable to battle! Magneton is the winner. And the victor is Aaron from Metropolis Town!" The referee gave the final decision.

"All right!" Aaron hollered joyously. "You did it, Magneton!" They embraced. Magneton was about to give him a great happy shock. "Don't even think about it." Aaron warned. "Mag..." Magneton said softly.

"That was actually a good match." Ash rated.

Roark and Aaron stood at the center. "Congradulations, Aaron, for that great battle. Here's your reward, your first official Pokemon League Gym Badge, the Coal Badge." Roark presented and gave Aaron the badge.

"Alright! I just won a Coal Badge!" Aaron repeated somewhat holding it up. "Magneton!" Magneton came in the traditional way.

After a while, the sun was setting and Aaron was outside with his travel gear ready. We speaking to Dawn, Ash, Brock before he left. "So, Ash, I hope you win and get all the badges. And, Dawn, I wish you luck in getting all the Contest Ribbons." Aaron said.

"I'm going to do my best, Aaron." Ash responded determinedly.

"And so am I!" Dawn peppily added. The the two trainers finished simultaneously, "And don't you lose either. 'cause I wanna face you myself."

"That's a promise that will be fulfilled. I'll see you guys at the Sinnoh League and Grand Festival. And, Brock, good luck being a Pokemon breeder." Aaron concluded as he began to walk away. A rivalry unfolded, a friendship made, thus beginning the name of Aaron Shadow with one last statement, "This journey is going to be real fun."


	6. Ash vs Aaron Part 1

**Authors Notes**

I know I said Pokemon Story was completed, but I decided after a looooong time after it was completed to add something a little extra. And that is a special three-part, in FULL detail, battle between Ash Ketchum and Aaron Shadow that was mentioned in the prologue of Pokemon Story 2. Hope you all will enjoy it as I did writing it!

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). The things I do own that will appear in the story are Aaron Shadow and, later, Ian Darusu. That's all.

**Sinnoh League Final: Ash vs. Aaron (Part 1)**

"Ladies and gentlemen, the today has come and that means the beginning of the final round of the Sinnoh League is here!" the announcer declared, his voice booming out of the speakers in the Suzuran Island Conference stadium. The innumerable amounts of Pokemon and humans cheered loudly in their seats or positions.

"And as revealed yesterday before we dismissed you all," the announcer continued, "Our finalists are Aaron Shadow of Metropolis Town," the crowd cheered once more as the image of Aaron appeared on the giant overhead screen. Aaron himself was already standing in his left-hand spot on the battlefield. His arms were crossed and the brim of his hat covered his closed eyes. Magneton was floating diligently beside him, uncaring of the cheers it and its trainer was receiving.

"and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Ash's image appeared right beside Aaron's on the screen as an equal amount of cacophony was unleashed into the sky. Ash himself grinned readily and waved to the audience; Pikachu was at his feet waving as well.

"Well, this is it." Brock commented as he crossed his arms, examining the two finalists surreptitiously. "Yep," Dawn agreed as she interlaced her fingers that were in her lap, "this is an important battle for both Ash and Aaron. The winner literally takes all." Barry who was sitting a row above and behind Brock and Dawn scoffed, "Pfft! Please! We all know Ash is gonna dominate Aaron!"

"I wouldn't be too sure." Conway disagreed appearing out of nowhere beside of the blonde, holding his glasses as they glinted eerily. "AHH!" Barry screamed as he awkwardly fell out of his seat. Unfazed by Barry's scared reaction, Conway continued, "If you guys hadn't noticed how Aaron battled throughout the tournament, you would deduce that Aaron is the superior battler between him and Ash. Heh heh."

Barry shot straight back up and pointed accusingly at the green-haired trainer, "I swear, if you do that one more time, you're gonna get a BIG fine!" Dawn chuckled nervously at Barry's and Conway's antics; Brock simply stated, "Well, let's see what happens because the battle's about to start." Dawn's Piplup, dressed in a bright orange kimono with a headband of feathers and pink pom-poms, squeaked out final "good lucks" for Ash and the rest of his team.

As six empty slots of Pokeballs appeared beside Ash and Aaron's pictures, the ref said, "This is an official Sinnoh League final match-up! All trainers with be using all six of their pokemon to battle. The winner will be declared when all six of one trainer's pokemon are rendered unable to continue battling. Substitutions are allowed."

"Right." Ash and Aaron responded readily as they stared each other down intensely. Dawn, Brock, Conway, and Barry situated themselves quietly and waited for the battle to begin furthermore. Nando was spectating the battle around the corner of one of the corridors that led audience members to the lobby. Paul and Ritchie/Sparky were viewing the battle from separate hallways in the stadium's lobby.

"Now bring out your Pokemon!" The ref instructed as he raised both flags into the air.

"Lucario, game on!"

"Gliscor, I choose you!"

In two flashes of white, the Fang Scorp Pokemon and the Aura Pokemon were released onto the Rocky Terrain battlefield. Gliscor spreads its vampiric wings in anticipation while Lucario stood there stoically with crossed arms and closed eyes. "And Ash starts out with Gliscor as Aaron starts off with Lucario." The announce pointed out; images of Gliscor and Lucario appeared in the slots beside their respective owner.

"Gliscor and Lucario, huh?" Barry mumbled contemplatively as he eyed the two Pokemon. "Ash may have the type advantage," Conway said whilst adjusting his glasses, "but he better stay guarded. Aaron's Lucario seems stoic, and that hints the endurance of rigorous trials."

"Begin!"

"The first move belongs to you, Ash." Aaron informed.

"OK then!" Ash exclaimed before issuing the first command of the final round, "Gliscor, X-Scissor!" Gliscor's claws illuminated light blue and swiped them in an X-like fashion to release light blue energy in the shape of an X at Lucario.

"Metal Claw." Aaron commanded in retaliation. The spikes on the top of Lucario's paws glowed white and instantly grew into three claws. The Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon then slashed at the oncoming X-Scissor before causing the Bug-type move to explode into harmless sparks.

"Stone Edge!" Ash ordered abruptly. The Ground/Flying-type's eyes glowed white and two blue rings suddenly surrounded Gliscor's body. The rings then formed into revolving chunks of grey, sharp stones. With a wave of its left arm, the stones were launched toward Lucario.

"Dark Pulse." Aaron countered. Lucario put its hands together and created a ball of black and purple circles. Then, it fired a beam of circles at the Stone Edge by shooting its hands forward. The stones clashed with the beam and elicited a small explosion; the rings from the Dark Pulse scattered haphazardly across the air.

"It seems that is doesn't matter what Gliscor does, Lucario will match it blow-for-blow and then some." the announcer said.

Ash eyed the occurrence instantly and an idea came into mind when he saw the Dark Pulse disperse.  
"Gliscor, use X-Scissor again! But knock those airborne rings into Lucario!" He enjoined while pointing at some of the black and purple circles. "Scor!" Gliscor's claws glowed light blue once again and air-dashed for rings that were nearest to it. It slashed at them in an X-like fashion and triggered a good amount of the rings to shoot back toward Lucario.

"There we go! Ash and Gliscor finally counter by using Dark Pulse against its owner!" the announcer exclaimed. "You go, Ash!" Barry cheered exuberantly.

"Not bad," Aaron remarked and then commanded his Pokemon, "But not good enough. Lucario, use Aura Sphere on the ground below you to jettison yourself into the air to evade!" Lucario once again placed its hands together and convened its Aura into a blue ball of energy. Then, it threw the Aura Sphere onto the ground below and the resulting blast shot the Fighting/Steel-type straight into the air. The redirected rings from Dark Pulse missed its target consequently.

"Metal Claw!" Expeditiously, Aaron's Lucario spurted itself toward Ash's Gliscor while still in the air. The Aura Pokemon then slashed the Fang Scorp Pokemon with its claws afterwards. "G-Gli!" Gliscor screamed in pain as it was forced to the ground from the raw strength of Lucario's Metal Claw. "But unfortunately, Aaron and Lucario close the door on their window of opportunity." the announcer added in after seeing what happened.

"Or not." Barry slumped dejectedly in his seat. "Barry, it's just their first two Pokemon. There's plenty more to come." Dawn consoled but was more focused on the battle than Barry's emotional condition.  
"Gliscor!" Ash shouted in concern, "You OK?" To reassure its trainer, Gliscor smiled, jumped up, and landed on its tail with perfect balance, "Gliscor! (Doing just great!)"

"It seems as if it's going to take more than just simple Metal Claws to break Gliscor's fighting spirit!" The announcer said through the speakers around the stadium. Aaron and Lucario simply 'humph-ed' in unison. "Now let's try Fire Fang!" Ash commanded exuberantly. Gliscor mouth suddenly sprouted a burst of flames inside it as it charged for the indifferent Aura Pokemon.

"Now is the correct time, Lucario," Aaron stated in proclamation, "Use Double Team! Implement Aura into it!" Aaron's Lucario gained a light blue, fiery aura around its whole body. The aura made it appear as if Lucario was reduced to nothing but a spiritual essence. In a sense, the firsthand preconception of this maneuver was that it was simply a modified version of the beginning of a regular Double Team.

But that's why you never judge a book by its cover.

The second Gliscor attempted to chomp Fire Fang onto Lucario, the latter unexpectedly disappeared in a flash of blue and purple. "What the-!" Ash exclaimed. "Metal Claw." Aaron commanded with a small grin.

Lucario, back in its original solid state, reappeared behind the confused and flabbergasted Fang Scorp Pokemon. Three silver claws extended from the spikes on its paws and promptly slashed Gliscor with them. "GLISCOR!" The Ground/Flying-type screeched in pain as it sent away flying up and into a boulder rooted on the battlefield.

"And apparently a new spin to Double Team has been developed!" The announcer commentated, "I think what just happened is perfect validation."

"What the heck just happened?" Barry exclaimed inquisitively. "I think we all are quite curious about that..." Brock muttered. "Jeez, I almost feel sorry for Ash battling that dude." Ritchie commented under his breath after his spot within the stadium vicinity.

"Lethal, no?" Aaron said to Ash as Gliscor struggled to regain composure, "It's a strategy exclusive to my Lucario only. By allowing it to implement Aura, its main source of power, into Double Team, a normally evasive move, a balance of defense and evasion is achieved. The illusion from Double Team is still maintained, but the Aura used in the technique creates a more assured chance at a stealthy blow."

"Aaron never ceases to amaze me..." Dawn remarked delicately and in awe. "But we should have reason to believe this is only the beginning." Conway stated.  
_"As if I had nothing else to worry about…"_ Ash thought in disdain, _"If Lucario's Double Team is meant to be triggered after an attack, and it's really hard to block or stop afterwards, how the heck is Gliscor supposed to defend itself-"_ Ash's onyx eyes widened when a plan suddenly glided across his mind, _"That's it!"_

"Gliscor!" Ash called out and the Fang Scorp was attentive, "Use Stone Edge on Lucario!" Gliscor summoned two crossing rings around its body that transformed into revolving sharp, pale stones. The stones were then unleashed toward Lucario.

"Rinse and repeat." Aaron stated triumphantly, "Double Team! Then use Aura Sphere to attack!" Like last time, Lucario's Aura enveloped its body to the spiritual illusion. When the Stone Edge struck its Aura-coated self, the Aura Pokemon disappeared in another flash of blue and purple.

"Now Gliscor!" Ash shouted fervently, "Use Stone Edge again to do Counter-Shield!"

"Counter-what?" Aaron asked in vexation, never having heard such a command or apparently haven't Ash use it in the past.

"Gli!" Gliscor swiftly jammed into its tail into the ground and once again summoned the two blue rings. Spreading its black wings, Gliscor rotated in its spot and released Stone Edge. This action resulted in the stones launching everywhere and covering every possible blind-spot around the Ground/Flying combination.

The Fighting/Steel-type reappeared in a solid state some yards behind Gliscor with Aura Sphere to fire; however, before it could, Stone Edges suddenly connected against its body. Aura Sphere immediately dematerialized into nothingness in its hands, and Lucario was constantly being battered by rocks as it gradually was forced to take unwilling steps back.

"Aaron!" Ash shouted out his brunette opponent, "You said that your Double Team creates a balance between defense and evasion, right? Well, MY Counter-Shield creates a balance between offense and defense. Now you're stuck!"

"He did it!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands together. "That was smart of Ash to use Counter-Shield against Lucario's Double Team," Brock remarked with a smile, "Now I'd like to see Aaron get out of this!" Barry shot out of his seat hyperactively and pumped fists into the air, "Get him, Ash! Take him down!"

Lucario desperately wanted to fall on a knee for rest, but the Stone Edge version of Ash's Counter-Shield continued to pommel it and continue causing it back up unwillingly. At this point, small explosions randomly occurred when some of the rocks from the Rock-type move struck the Fighting/Steel-type's body.

"And how quickly the tables can turn!" The announcer roared in excitement, "Lucario seemed to be the aggressor throughout the whole battle, but now Gliscor has it cornered and is slowly taking away what's left of its strength!"

As the crowd cheered and Gliscor continued using its Counter-Shield on Lucario, Aaron nervously adjusted his hat as he remarked genteelly, "Not bad. Not bad whatsoever." Now, the orphaned strategist started to contemplate on how he was going to save his Lucario. "Lucario, I may not be able to use Aura," He said softly addressing his Lucario only, "but I know you're definitely an exceptional Aura practitioner. Concentrate and visualize an opening. Everything has a loophole."

Lucario crossed its arms in front of its face to block the Stone Edges, even though its whole body was subject to damage. Disregarding the current circumstances and ignoring the irking pain, the Aura Pokemon closed its crimson eyes and began to do its job. The aura sensors on its temples perked up as Lucario visualized the stones and their paths, even the ones connecting against its body. Eventually, the Aura allowed the Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon to pinpoint a good trajectory where it could strike Gliscor from its current location.

"Rah! (Found it!)" Lucario announced to its trainer as it reopened it eyes. "Dark Pulse!" Aaron commanded afterwards. After taking a couple more hits from the Stone Edge/Counter-Shield, Lucario quickly formed Dark Pulse using nothing but Aura. This created light blue and light purple rings rather than the usual black and purple. Then, it fired the Aura-Dark Pulse; the extra power allowed to shred through oncoming rocks without having the rings to scatter.

Ash's eyes widened in shock and surprise, "Gliscor! Here it comes! Stop and dodge-"

"SCOR!" The Fang Scorp Pokemon screamed in pain as the Aura-Dark Pulse landed a perfect hit and elicited an explosion. "Gliscor!" Ash screamed in concern. "Game over for Gliscor." Aaron said victoriously with a smirk as Lucario finally allowed itself to kneel.

The airborne smoke and dust cleared out to reveal Gliscor lying motionlessly in a crater with black swirls in its gold eyes. "Scor…" It groaned weakly.

"Gliscor is unable to battle!" The referee officiated as he raised his blue, left-hand flag to Aaron, "Lucario is the winner!" Upon the declaration, Gliscor's image on Ash's side of the scoreboard turned black. "Even in the face of certain doom, Aaron and his Lucario manage to battle back against Ash's Counter-Shield and get an early lead!"

"Wha-what did Aaron just tell his Lucario to do?" Barry inquired disbelievingly, "I mean, Gliscor had Lucario cornered!" Conway explained intelligently, "It appears Aaron had Lucario use its innate ability to see using Aura to get itself out of that sticky situation. The extrasensory perception provided allowed Lucario to locate a way to accurately strike Gliscor and penetrate Ash's Counter-Shield."

"I see." Brock stated. "Well, no need to worry!" Dawn said, "I got faith that Ash will pull through!"

"Return, Gliscor." Ash held out Gliscor's Pokeball and recalled the fallen Fang Scorp Pokemon back into it. "Thanks, Gliscor. Because of your efforts, we can take down that Lucario once and for all!" Then, the raven-haired trainer took out a different Pokeball and threw it into the air, "Staraptor, I choose you!" The Pokeball popped open and let loose a blast of white that formed into the final form of the native bird of Sinnoh, Staraptor.

Aaron's Lucario stared at the Predator Pokemon stoically and with heavy pants. Obviously, Lucario's energy was low from having to endure its battle against Gliscor. _"Argh..I don't have much of a choice, but keep Lucario in...Well, let's see what I can do in this situation."_ Aaron deliberated.

"Begin!"

"I'll let you go first this time, Aaron." Ash informed. Aaron shook his head, "No, no. You go, Ash." The brunette insisted. "Fine then." The raven-haired male replied, "Staraptor, Aerial Ace!" Releasing a ready caw, Staraptor then charged at Lucario with white streaks surrounding its avian body. "Double Team." Aaron retaliated. Lucario's body became intangible with Aura upon command. Staraptor rushed at Lucario only for the latter to disappear in a blue and purple streak.

"Staraptor!" Ash yelled, "Backflip and use Aerial Ace again from high up in the sky!"

"Staraptor!" The Normal/Flying-type trilled mightily as it used the momentum from its previous Aerial Ace to make itself fly straight into the air, directly where the sun seemed to be. "Not going to work," Aaron objected, "Aura Sphere." Lucario reappeared on the ground in a tangible state and hurled an Aura Sphere right where Staraptor had disappeared toward the sun. "Now!" Ash exclaimed suddenly.  
Out of nowhere, Staraptor performed a reverse backflip that caused it to dash out of the circumference of the sun, avoiding the Aura Sphere easily. When it completed its motion, Staraptor was behind Lucario with Aerial Ace still active.

Aaron was vividly surprised, but showed no physical or facial reaction to exhibit this. Lucario looked over its shoulder in time to be slashed by Staraptor's Aerial Ace. That strike took away the rest of the Aura Pokemon's strength, and it fell to the ground defeated as a result. "Lucario is unable to battle! Staraptor is the winner!"

"Good job, Staraptor!" Ash complimented as the bird cawed happily in response. "Well that's one down." Brock remarked. "Keep it up, Ash!" Dawn cheered; Piplup did so as well, motioning like a cheerleader.

Aaron recalled his fallen Lucario, put away that Pokeball, and pulled out another. "Game on, Empoleon!" He threw said red and white machine out and the Emperor Pokemon was released onto the battlefield. As Lucario's image darkened, Empoleon's appeared right under it on Aaron's side of the scoreboard.

_"Empoleon, huh?"_ Ash thought, _"OK, I guess I can use Staraptor's speed to my advantage."_

"Ash, your move." Aaron notified crossing his arms. Now it was Ash's turn to shake his head, "Aaron, you haven't gone first yet. It's your move." The brunette mimicked Ash's action, "I'd rather not. Have at me." Ash sighed, being obviously dissatisfied, and gave out the command for his Pokemon, "Staraptor, Quick Attack! Head for Empoleon!"

"Star!" The Predator Pokemon trilled as it dashed for the Water/Steel-type, leaving behind a white blur. "Ice Beam." Aaron commanded. Empoleon created a small ice blue sphere in front of its trident-beak and unleashed a ray of ice energy for the dashing Normal/Flying-type. "Keep using Quick Attack!" Ash said, "Dodge that Ice Beam!" As the Ice-type attack approached Staraptor dangerously, it simply sidestepped out of the way to avoid being hit.

"Now Aerial Ace!" White streaks veiled the Predator Pokemon as it slammed into Empoleon. "Direct hit!" the announcer commentated eliciting cheers and whistles from the audience. "Nice shot, Staraptor!" Ash praised.

"You're celebrating awfully early, Ash." Aaron chided and before pointing toward Staraptor, "Waterfall!" Raising its right fin, Empoleon spontaneously made an airborne vat of water above Staraptor. With a small gesture with the same fin, a cascade of water was slammed upon Staraptor. "Star!" The bird screeched in pain as its avian body met the rocky terrain. "Ah!" Ash exclaimed, "Get up, Staraptor!"

The Predator Pokemon attempted to raise back into the air, but upon seeing Aaron's Emperor Pokemon in the distance, it cowered fearfully. "Staraptor has become a sitting duck now! Waterfall's secondary effect of Flinching is working its magic!" The announcer informed the jam-packed audience. Ash gritted his teeth, "Darn it."

"What a lovely gift from the heavens for me." Aaron said with a vague smile, "Hyper Beam." Empoleon opened its trident-beak once more and began to charge up orange particles in it. These particles amassed to form an orange-yellow sphere, which then was unleashed as an orange-yellow beam. "Staraptor!" Ash shouted to his cowering Normal/Flying-type, "Please get up!" Barry covered his eyes with his arms, "I can't watch! Oh, the horror!" Conway, however, was quite amused as he smile creepily and adjusted his glasses, "This is going to leave a mark."

Suddenly, Staraptor's trepidation vanished, and its eyes regained the raw determination it continuously had. "Staraptor!" It cawed defiantly as it took flight and performed Quick Attack to avoid the deadly beam. "Oh perfect..." Aaron groaned as he rolled his brown eyes. "That's it, Staraptor!" Ash motivated, "Now Close Combat!"

Empoleon could do nothing about the impending attack as Hyper Beam always left its user unable to move afterward. The Predator Pokemon gained a vivid orange aura around its body at it approached the Emperor Pokemon. Then, it proceeded to lay a beatdown upon Empoleon with barrages of "kicks" from its talons and "punches" from its wings. "And Staraptor continues to dominate Empoleon! Apparently Lucario didn't give it much of a warm-up!" The announce said.

"Tch," Aaron sneered and then ordered, "Steel Wing!" Now able to react again, Empoleon's fins glowed white as they became coated with metallic energy; the blue tips at the ends of its fin illuminated a light shade of blue. "Back away!" Ash commanded. The Water/Steel-type swung at Staraptor who used its speed to dodge.

"Aerial Ace!" Before Empoleon could readjust itself for another attack, Staraptor swooped down and successfully connected another Aerial Ace. "Ice Beam!" Aaron enjoined, internally suppressing the urge to grit his teeth or raise his voice more. The Emperor Pokemon unleashed another Ice Beam to Staraptor, but Ash told the bird to use Quick Attack to dodge again and get closer. "Steel Wing!" Empoleon attempted to knocked the approaching Staraptor away with Steel Wing, but it dodged it.

"Close Combat!" Ash ordered smiling victoriously. The Normal/Flying-type delivered a swift but powerful kick to Empoleon's face, causing the Emperor Pokemon to be propelled into a stone stationed on the battlefield. "Come on, Empoleon..." Aaron urged in a hushed tone, "Waterfall!" Staggering to its webbed feet, Empoleon summoned another Waterfall and motioned it toward Staraptor.

"Use Quick Attack and Aerial Ace at the same time!" Ash ordered. Smirking, Staraptor expeditiously sprinted to Empoleon whilst leaving a white blur in its wake. Then, white streaks surrounded it. The extra speed allowed the bird to avoid the falling torrents of water. The Water/Steel-type Pokemon was then hit by yet another Aerial Ace.

"Argh...This is getting me nowhere." Aaron concluded in defeat as he extended Empoleon's Pokeball outward, "Return, Empoleon." An infrared beam was shot from it, dematerialized Empoleon into similar infrared energy, and recalled the tired Pokemon back into it. "It looks like Empoleon just couldn't handle the swift smackdown it was getting from Ash's Staraptor." The announcer stated, eliciting nearly inaudible snickers from the audience. When Empoleon was recalled, its image on the big screen grayed.

"I think I see what Ash was doing." Brock said. Dawn looked at the aspiring Pokemon Breeder with quizzical azure eyes, "Oh? What?" Brock looked at the dark blue-haired Pokemon coordinator and explained, "Ash was using his Staraptor's speed and flying capabilities to overwhelm Aaron's Empoleon, who is forced to stay on the ground. I believe he developed from that idea since it was originally used to counter Lucario's Double Team. Then, he used Staraptor's Quick Attack to dodge all of Empoleon's long-range attacks and to create distance from Empoleon to prevent close-range assaults."

"That's awesome, Ash!" Dawn fawned happily as she gazed at the raven-haired trainer from her seat. "Piplup! (Get him good, Ash!)" The Penguin Pokemon squeaked while shaking its pom-poms.

"Bet you wish that you would've gone first now, huh, Aaron?" Ash asked mockingly. "Hm." Aaron responded indifferently, "I doubt it would've mattered, Ash. Your tactic is that commendable." The hat-wearing trainer/coordinator mustered out his third Pokeball of the battle and threw it high into the sky, "But I like to see you withstand my next Steel-type!"

The Pokeball popped open, and a shadowed blur briskly descended, glided across, and looped back to its starting point on the battlefield all in one go. Ash had to keep a hand on his hat make sure the winds wouldn't blow it away; Staraptor was flustered for a second but maintained composure. The now stationary figure was revealed to be a Skarmory who was hovering slightly off the ground in front of Aaron.

"And out comes Aaron's next Pokemon, Skarmory! A great counter for Ash's Staraptor!" The announcer commentated as Skarmory's image appeared on Aaron's line of Pokemon. Both Staraptor and Skarmory ascended into the sky, glowering at each other competitively.

_"Great, Aaron's Skarmory completely messes with my thought process..."_ Ash thought disdainfully. Aaron smirked and chuckled in anticipation, _"I got him now. I can tell from his eyes that my Skarmory is his Staraptor's bane at the moment."_

Begin!"

"Staraptor, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded right off the bat; Staraptor charged at Skarmory quickly.  
"Skarmory, Swift." Aaron commanded in retaliation. The red feathers on Skarmory's wings blinked a bright gold momentarily as it crossed them. Then, the Armor Bird Pokemon threw them outward and unleashed a plethora of golden energy stars for Staraptor.

"Alright, dodge-" Ash stopped his command when he saw something highly irregular about Skarmory's Swift attack. The deadly range of Swift nearly blanketed the portion of the sky where his Staraptor and Aaron's Skarmory were positioned in his visual perspective. Staraptor noticed this itself and hesitated momentarily because it didn't know how to dodge a Swift of this magnitude.

"Star!" the Predator Pokemon shrieked in agony as multiple explosions enveloped it. "Staraptor!" Ash shouted in concern as the Normal/Flying-type plummeted from a large cloud of smoke and landed on the ground. Although it was not out, Staraptor definitely was greatly damaged.

"I'm afraid your strategy won't work anymore, Ash." Aaron stated matter-of-factly and then commanded his Steel/Flying-type Pokemon, "Steel Wing!" Both of Skarmory's wings suddenly glowed a whitish-blue as it descended toward the fallen Staraptor. "Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" Ash abruptly ordered.

"Hit the floor." Aaron calmly enjoined. Staraptor hurriedly used Quick Attack to get itself out of Steel Wing's range, but Skarmory slammed its Steel-type attack on the ground causing a good amount of dust and gravel to kick up. Staraptor was enveloped by the airborne sediment and was forced to stop Quick Attack as some of it invaded its eyes.

"Now Sky Attack, Skarmory!" The dust was forcibly cleared as Aaron's Skarmory jettisoned itself toward Staraptor, covering in a stringy white aura. The Armor Bird Pokemon slammed itself into Staraptor hard. The Predator Pokemon screeched unpleasantly before being sent higher into the sky, uncontrollably flailing about. "Swift again, Skarmory."

"Skar!" Skarmory cawed at the red portion of its metal wings blinked gold again. Then, it swung them simultaneously to produce the same wide-range Swift as before. Before Ash even let words come out of his mouth, Staraptor was hit once again by Skarmory's Swift. "STARAPTOR!"

"Not much your Staraptor can do, hn?" Aaron spoke, "I knew the minute I saw you use Staraptor's aerodynamic skills, my Skarmory was the perfect choice to counter that. Especially since I developed a method that allows my Skarmory's Swift to cover a much wider surface area."

Ash gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in aggravation (an action that made Aaron deepen his frown unnoticeably). Staraptor emerged from the cloud of dark smoke, visibly injured and exhausted. "Time for the finisher," Aaron declared, "Skarmory, Flash Cannon!" Skarmory opened its beak and amassed small silver particles in front of it until a ball was created. Then, a silver beam was discharged from the ball at Staraptor.

"Fly away!" Ash ordered. Staraptor dodged the Flash Cannon and began to fly off. "Why are you running?" Aaron questioned mockingly, "Skarmory, stay on its tail!" The Armor Bird Pokemon grinned alacritously and followed Staraptor, almost closing the gap between them in mere seconds.

Staraptor and Skarmory flew into the sky, way past the rim of the open-air stadium. Aaron commanded his Skarmory to use Flash Cannon once again, but the Steel-type attack was evaded as Ash told Staraptor to use Quick Attack to descend. Skarmory abruptly followed not letting the Predator Pokemon get away. The two birds reentered the stadium and began gliding across the stands. The winds that were briskly brewed as the two fast birds chased each other forced audience members to hold onto whatever loose item they had.

"Everyone better watch out! Those birds aren't showing signs of stopping!" the announcer exclaimed, silently grateful that he was in a booth safe from the two Pokemon.

"AHH!" Barry suddenly screamed while pointing to an eastward direction, "DUCK!" Brock, Conway, Dawn, and Piplup immediately looked to where the frightened blonde was pointing; Skarmory and Staraptor were flying directly to their direction, low enough so that all spectators had no chance but to duck to avoid being hit by either bird. Dawn, Barry, Conway, Brock, and Piplup all ducked as well as the fast birds passed over them and created more aerial turbulence.

"I grow tired of this game of cat-and-mouse." Aaron stated as he watched his Skarmory chase Ash's Staraptor, "Steel Wing!" The Steel/Flying-type's wings became coated in a whitish-blue aura as it went even closer to the Normal/Flying-type. "Backflip to dodge!" When Skarmory went for a horizontal slash with Steel Wing, Staraptor suddenly backflipped to avoid the attack.

"At once! Overturn yourself and use Swift." Aaron enjoined. Skarmory formed a light gold ball in front of its beak. Then, the steel bird overturned itself as if it were in a backstroke position that a swimmer would use. Staraptor's eyes widened, and its vision was suddenly clouded with golden stars that were discharged from the ball in front of Skarmory's beak. The Predator Pokemon was pushed back into the air until an explosion enclosed it.

Staraptor fell from under the explosion and began plummeting to the ground lifelessly. "Now, here comes the final blow." Aaron proclaimed victoriously, "Skarmory! Hover slightly above the battlefield and unleash Flash Cannon at your falling opponent!" Skarmory rapidly descended to battlefield, going at faster speeds than the falling Staraptor. The Steel/Flying-type Pokemon stopped near the center of the battlefield and hovered ever so slightly above the ground as it positioned itself where Staraptor was directly in its sight.

"Skarrrr..." The steel bird trilled aggressively as it bulled its neck and began charging silver particles in front of its open beak. "No you don't!" Ash defiantly objected, "Staraptor, Brave Bird!" Staraptor determinedly opened its eyes, corrected its position, pulled in its wings, and continued falling toward Skarmory in a controlled manner. Its body suddenly burst into flames, which was abruptly replaced by a sparkling blue aura.

By this time, Skarmory fired Flash Cannon straight at the Brave Bird-induced Staraptor. The silver beam engulfed the Predator Pokemon easily, and it seemed that Staraptor was not going to get any closer to Skarmory whatsoever. "What does Ash think he's doing?" Barry exclaimed while shooting out of his seat, "Staraptor can't battle through that! He should've dodged!"

Yes, the odds were completely against Staraptor as it boldly continued battling through Skarmory's Flash Cannon with its own Brave Bird. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, Ash," Aaron rebuked with closed eyes, "but that wasn't the smartest of moves to do. Your Staraptor is paying the price."

"I never was the one to take the easy way out." Ash replied with a lopsided grin, but it quickly disappeared as he went on to more pressing mattes, "Staraptor! You can do it! Battle through! STARAPTOR!"

Ash's motivational pleas intensified the resolve within his Staraptor. With a powerful caw, Brave Bird suddenly began to push through Flash Cannon at a sure but steady pace. "Look!" the announcer shouted, "Staraptor is pulling through!"

"What willpower..." Aaron commented breathlessly; Skarmory's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Starrrr...RAPTOR!" Staraptor screeched as it did one final push through the silver, lustrous beam. A big explosion occurred as Brave Bird slammed against the shocked Armor Bird. A large quantity of black, thick smoke was formed as a result of the impact making it seem as if both Skarmory and Staraptor were eaten by the burst of power.

However, it only took a few more seconds until Ash's Staraptor flew away out of the smoke, victorious and satisfied after even Brave Bird's recoil damage affected it. The smoke subsided for everyone to see Skarmory lying on its back with swirls replacing its eyes. "Skarmory is unable to battle! Staraptor is the winner!" The red said as he raised his red, right-hand flag.

"All right!" Ash yelled happily as he pumped a fist into the sky. The crowd erupted into loud, raucous cheers as Staraptor cawed mightily. "That oughta show that hat-wearing dude who's boss!" Barry vociferated, rivaling the volume of the people around him. "Please silence yourself before we all get headaches." Conway ordered in agitation.

Meanwhile, Aaron gazed at his fallen Skarmory with a mystified expression as he tried to contemplate on how it lost like that. _"H-How? How did Staraptor manage to battle through certain defeat? My Skarmory had it, she should've ended the battle with that Flash Cannon."_ The Metropolis Town resident than looked at the Pallet Town resident who was showering is Staraptor with praise, _"...Does Ash really think relying on willpower alone can save him through the toughest of situations?"_

Dismissing his vexed thoughts, Aaron recalled the Armor Bird Pokemon; upon so, Skarmory's image darkened on the scoreboard. Pulling out another Pokeball, Aaron lightly tossed it, "Back out." Aaron's Empoleon was released onto the battlefield again and was highly displeased to see its opponent was the same one as before.

"Things are really looking up for Ash." Dawn said positively. "Indeed," Brock replied, "Gliscor is only one of Ash's Pokemon to be defeated. Aaron, conversely, has lost two Pokemon to Staraptor." Barry added in with a grin, "And it's about to be a third one. Empoleon can't handle Staraptor! Why do you think Aaron had to switch in the first place?"

"Begin!"

"Time to make it three in a row. Staraptor, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded while pointing at Empoleon. "Star! (Here I come, penguin!)" Staraptor shrieked at charge expeditiously to Empoleon leaving behind a white blur.

"Empoleon, burrow underground using Steel Wing." Aaron said. Empoleon's fins illuminated white as their blue tips brightened. Then, the Emperor Pokemon rotated quickly until it became a small, white cone-shaped drill with blue streaks spiraling down its length. Instantly, Empoleon bored through the ground and disappeared under it. Staraptor passed over where Empoleon once was quizzically looked around, "Star? (Where did he go?)"

Ash's eyes narrowed warily, _"What the heck are you planning, Aaron?"_

"Empoleon, use Waterfall. Commence the Aqueduct." Aaron ordered softly with closed eyes.  
Empoleon's cries of effort echoed from its position levels underground as it performed Waterfall. Suddenly, this caused the field to glow a rich, majestic blue color. "What is this?" Ash exclaimed as he gazed at the battlefield with saucer-like eyes. "Star! (I don't like where this is going!)" Staraptor said guardedly.

"Look at the field!" Barry pointed out in surprise. "It looks so pretty..." Dawn commented in awe,  
"Almost like an aurora under the seas..."

"Behold, Ash," Aaron spoke with his eyes still closed, "I will admit that I didn't think my Skarmory would lose to your Staraptor like that. It was unprecedented on my part. If it wasn't because of that, I wouldn't have to had created this strategy for my Empoleon to eliminate Staraptor." The brunette finally opened his eyes, the blue glow complimenting his brown irises, "Now, see the results of the Aqueduct; a strategy literally devised only seconds ago."

A massive geyser of water was unleashed from underground, and Staraptor was helpless as it was caught in its torrential clutches. "Now Hyper Beam!" Empoleon used the escalating waters to its advantage; the Water/Steel-type was at the trapped Staraptor's height inside the geyser and unleashed Hyper Beam from its Normal/Flying-type was instantly shot straight down to the ground as the Aqueduct disappeared into beautiful oblivion.

"Oh man..." Ash said with the slightest hints of intimidation in his voice. "Pika..." Pikachu mumbled hugging itself with its tail. Staraptor was currently in a crater soaked and twitching involuntarily. "Staraptor is unable to battle! Empoleon is the winner!"

"And it seems Aaron's Empoleon literally has shot down Staraptor's hopes and dreams!" the announcer stated as the audience cheered, "I think if it wasn't for that Aqueduct, that would've been three in a row for Staraptor! But that is no longer the case, folks!"

"Created an amazing counter right on the spot..." Brock said pensively, "I know improvising is a major element in most battles, but to improvise like _that_ is something different." Conway chuckled, "Quite the strategist, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I didn't see _that_ coming!" Barry stated while trying his best not to allow his jaw to drop. Dawn made no comment, but the glimmer in her azure eyes said all, _"Aaron..."_

"Return, Staraptor." Ash said as he recalled the Predator Pokemon; its image darkened on Ash's side of the scoreboard. "Thanks, Staraptor. You still did good. Watch us win this battle." Taking out another Pokeball, Ash said, "OK! Let's see how your Empoleon can handle this next one, Aaron! Infernape, I choose you!" He threw it out and Infernape was released onto the battlefield. The fiery primate hollered powerfully as it pounded its chest energetically.

"Infernape?" Aaron said, "Amusing. Prepare yourself, Empoleon."

Empoleon and Infernape stared each other down intensely as the announcer said, "Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen. From what we've seen before with these two Pokemon, we're about to witness the most epic altercation between two of Sinnoh's starter Pokemon; Fire vs. Water!"

"Begin!"


	7. Ash vs Aaron Part 2

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). The things I do own that will appear in the story are Aaron Shadow and, later, Ian Darusu. That's all.

**Sinnoh League Final: Ash vs. Aaron (Part 2)**

"Begin!"

"Infernape, Mach Punch!" Ash's Infernape's fist glowed light blue as it charged at Aaron's Empoleon, preparing to punch the living daylights out of it.  
"Parry with Steel Wing."Empoleon's fins illuminated white as metallic energy coated them and the blue tips brightened to a lighter hue of azure. Then, the Emperor Pokemon swung its perfectly timed Steel Wing to block the Flame Pokemon's Mach Punch.

"Strike!" Aaron commanded. Empoleon roughed swatted Infernape's failed Mach Punch to provide itself with space to swing another Steel Wing. "Use Dig to dodge!" Ash enjoined. The Fire/Fighting-type backflipped to avoid a diagonal slash from the Steel-type move and burrowed underground when it met the ground once more.

"OK! Now let's try something else!" Ash said and then ordered, "Use Dig again and attack with Mach Punch!" Infernape's right fist glowed light blue again, and it burrowed under the surface of the battlefield once again. "I won't let that work again." Aaron said, "Hyper Beam right below you, Empoleon!"

Empoleon charged orange-yellow energy in front of its trident-mask and unleash a beam of power right below it, thinking Infernape was going to strike from that location like before. When the smoke and dust conceived by the Hyper Beam, it revealed nothing but an empty crater. "What the-?" Aaron exclaimed in shock. His surprise was further heightened by Infernape rose from the ground behind Empoleon and successfully landed its Mach Punch.

"And Infernape pounds Aaron's Empoleon after rendering it confused with monkey business!" The announcer said. "There we go!" Ash exclaimed excitedly while pumping an arm. "Hmph.." Aaron huffed indifferently. Empoleon stood back onto its feet, but the secondary effects of Hyper Beam made it unable to do further movement. "And Hyper Beam makes Empoleon a sitting duck now!" The announcer added.

"Then we can do this," Ash stated smiling, "Flare Blitz!" Infernape shrieked as its body was covered in red-orange flames and then shot itself toward the immobilized Empoleon faster than a rocket. "….Now! Use Waterfall to defend yourself!" Aaron suddenly shouted at the last second. Empoleon instantly protected itself by summoning a column of blue water around it. Flare Blitz clashed with the Water-type move. "What?" Ash exclaimed.

Being advantageously stronger, Waterfall overpowered Flare Blitz and sent Infernape away with a burst of waves. "Now Steel Wing." Aaron commanded. Empoleon, using the lasts of the waves from Waterfall, expeditiously swam toward the Fire/Fighting-type with its fins glowing white and bright azure. Then, when close enough, the Emperor Pokemon delivered two consecutive Steel Wings that sent the fiery primate flying and onto its back.

"Infernape!" The Pride of Pallet Town yelled. The Flame Pokemon defiantly rose back to its feet and gave its trainer a reassuring grin. "Phew…" Ash sighed in relief but then quickly returned to his normal battle façade, "Flamethrower!" Infernape huffed oxygen into its chest and released great flurry of flames from its mouth to Empoleon. "Empoleon, use Steel Wing to dig and dodge." Aaron commanded.

Empoleon summoned Steel Wing, revolved a quick pace to turn into a white cone-shaped drill with parallel blue streaks around, and penetrated into the ground to avoid the intense Flamethrower. "Game over," Aaron declared, "Aqueduct!"

The battlefield began to illuminate light blue again as Empoleon released Waterfall underground with as much effort as possible. "And here comes the sequel!" the announcer commentated, "How can this 'Aqueduct' be stopped?"

"Oh no!" Ash exclaimed, feeling helpless to try and figure out a way to prevent this from happening. Infernape constantly looked around in shock, too confused to figure out a way to save itself. "Infernape!" Barry shouted while covering his eyes. "This is bad!" Brock said, "That Aqueduct's gonna be harsher on ground-based Pokemon like Infernape rather than airborne one like Staraptor!"

With no apparent way of evasion seen, an enormous geyser of aquatic power erupted from the battlefield. Infernape was trapped inside the powerful Aqueduct and screamed in pain. This was indeed a trial worse than any other it experienced.

Eventually, the Aqueduct dispersed into oblivion ever-so beautifully again. Infernape was lying on its stomach with a good amount of steam emanating from its body. Empoleon rose from the ground again and examined its work smugly. "Infernape is down!" the announcer said, "and I believe it should be after taking a tactic that gives Aaron the right to truly be both a Pokemon Trainer and Pokemon Coordinator."

"Indeed he does…" Nando commented silently. _"I wonder if that power of yours can get yourself out of this."_ Paul thought as he watched the suspended TV in the lobby with a number of other people. "Infernape…" Ash gritted his teeth. "Pika pika (Come on, Infernape, get up!)" Pikachu cheered on.

The Flame Pokemon twitched with life, but had a significantly hard time trying to get back on its feet. "Magneton. (Aaron, you should finish that Infernape while you still can.)" Magneton recommended. "You're right, better safe than sorry." Aaron stated and then commanded, "Empoleon, end this game with Hyper-"

Suddenly, Infernape's eyes turned a blazing crimson, and the flame atop its head flared wildly with increased intensity. As if revitalized completely, the enthralled Infernape jumped back to its feet and released a powerful, echoing yell to show that the battle was not over yet.

"Alright!" Brock exclaimed, "Infernape's Blaze has activated!" Barry grinned, "There's no way that Empoleon of Aaron's can survive now!" Paul watched the scene intently as he thought, _"Let's see if Aaron and his Empoleon can battle through this situation."_

"Your last resort, I presume?" Aaron commented collectedly as he watched the flames around Infernape flare proudly and powerfully. "You got that right!" Ash answered jubilantly, "Now, it's time to beat that Empoleon of yours once and for all!"

"Your intentions are SO one-sided, Ash." Aaron remarked with a small shake of his head. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked guardedly knowing that something was brewing inside that vast of mind of Aaron's. The hat-wearing brunette pointed to something around Infernape's feet. Ash and the Blaze-induced Pokemon looked down at the same time to see small traces of steam flowing out a two-inch layer of water. The heat from Blaze was causing the evaporation. Ash looked around the battlefield to see if that wasn't the only place where water was located and, sure enough, the whole playing field was submerged in a two-inch layer of water.

"Look, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer pointed out in surprise, "I think we were too awestruck by the activation of Infernape's Blaze to notice what Aaron's Empoleon has done to the battlefield!"

"Now with that small yet sufficient amount of residual water on the battlefield," Aaron explicated, "My Empoleon can dish out a better Waterfall that will put an end to your Infernape. Your last resort shall be in vain. Waterfall!"

Raising its right fin up, the water layering the battlefield was suddenly amassed into the air above Empoleon as glowing H20 molecules. In due time, a giant swirl of water was levitating above Empoleon and the most of the battlegrounds.

"Uh-oh! Looks like Ash's Infernape is about to get washed up!" The announcer exclaimed.

"Go underground with Dig!" Ash ordered abruptly, and Infernape instantly burrowed beneath the surface. "Useless," Aaron disparaged, "My Empoleon and I will simply immerse everything under- and aboveground. Go, Empoleon!" Swishing its right fin in a curvilinear motion, a torrent of rushing, highly pressurized water was launched downward.

"Infernape! Flare Blitz!" Ash enjoined. Vaguely underneath the surface of the battlefield, the Flame Pokemon released a guttural screech of effort. Then, the whole battlefield suddenly lit up an ardent and glorious crimson color. The exact opposite of Aqueduct was happening; unlike then when the battlefield was cooled down and reserved, the battlefield was heated up and gregarious. Then, a magnificent and massive burst of flames erupted from beneath the battlefield.

"WHOA!" Aaron screamed as he jumped back, unable to cope with the extreme temperatures. "Can't take the heat, Aaron?" Ash questioned fervently, taking the heat swimmingly, "Then stay out of the kitchen!"

Aaron's Empoleon was engulfed in the volcanic inferno. Screaming in pain, the Emperor Penguin was being incinerated by the intense, red-hot flames produced by the Underground Flare Blitz. It didn't help that the Flare Blitz was powered up by Blaze. The rushing Waterfall had also succumbed to the maneuver; before it could reach Empoleon's level, the high-pressurized cascade was instantly reduced to harmless steam when it came into contact with the Underground Flare Blitz.

"The playing field goes ablaze as Ash and his Infernape overwhelm Aaron and his Empoleon! And here we thought that legendary Blaze ability of its wouldn't be put into good use!" The impressed announcer yammered.

Unlike Aqueduct, the Underground Flare Blitz lingered and only dispersed after a minute of usage. Empoleon was standing right where it was previously. The Emperor Pokemon was scorched, immobile, and lying on its stomach on the ground with its head propped up by its chin. Infernape rose from underground and examined its work pleased. "Infer? (Not doing so hot, aren't you, Empoleon?)" The fiery primate Pokemon asked with a smirk.

"And Empoleon is down!" The announcer said as the cheered raucously, mostly for Ash's Infernape having become a crowd-pleaser. The referee eyed at the motionless Water/Steel-type attentively before making any assumptions. When Empoleon didn't move even an inch, he began to raise his right-hand red flag.

Suddenly, Empoleon's eyes shot open, but the white sclera in them was replaced with glowing blue. Aaron, who was in the middle of getting out a Pokeball to recall it, noticed this and shouted, "Wait!" That was when everyone turned their attention to Empoleon who was beginning to stand on its webbed feet. "I'm afraid this game isn't over yet." Aaron declared with an enthusiastic smirk, "Now, Empoleon, let's show them your Torrent ability!"

With an echoing squawk, Aaron's Empoleon gained a majestic aura around its whole body. The water molecules in the air around it suddenly transformed into pure, watery energy and crashed down like a tidal wave coming onshore. "My Empoleon may not use its Ability as frequently as your Infernape does," Aaron stated, "But that doesn't mean it isn't as potent!"

"We're not even halfway done with the battle yet, and I cannot count how many times the tide has shifted between these two extraordinary trainers!" the announcer commented earnestly, "but now it seems even! I can say for sure that the two Pokemon out there now represent the most outstanding properties of their trainers. Aaron's Empoleon, just like water, representing the flowing and collected mind that Aaron possesses. Ash's Infernape, just like fire, representing the compassionate and undying will of fire inside Ash's heart."

"Then bring it on!" Ash challenged; Infernape shouted something to Empoleon that was of a similar standard.

"Just remember," Aaron cautioned before swishing his left arm horizontally, "You requested it. Waterfall!" Empoleon gathered more water molecules in the air with its Torrent ability and generated a vertical twister of water around it.

"I know I did!" Ash responded before commanding whilst pointing outward, "Flare Blitz!" Infernape turned the heat once again and surrounded its body with white-blue fire instead of red-orange, a result of Blaze.

"GO!" Aaron and Ash, although at different levels of exhilaration, shouted unitedly. Still blanketed by white-blue flames, Infernape propelled itself forward like a missile. Empoleon imitated the propulsion and the water around it became a silver-grey color.

The raging fire of the Fire-type starter met the rushing water of the Water-type starter. The Blaze-powered Flare Blitz and the Torrent-powered Waterfall rammed into each other powerfully. Multiple power spikes rocked the skies above the stadium as steam, fire, and water swirled around the battlefield. Infernape and Empoleon pushed themselves past their limits in attempts to try and dominate each other in this final clash.

Suddenly, a massive explosive occurred. But instead of smoke, thick steam enveloped the battlefield, stands, and even reached to the skies of the open-air stadium. The cameras and the vision of all human and Pokemon spectators were blocked by airy whiteness. No one made a peep; they simply waited until the thick fog decided to subside.

Eventually, everyone was granted the ability to see again. And what they saw was earth-shattering.

"Empoleon and Infernape are unable to battle! This round results in a draw!" The referee officiated as it raised both of the flags in each of his hand. "What an amazing clash between the two final evolutions of the Fire- and Water-type starters of Sinnoh!" The announcer shouted through the numerous amount of speakers in the stadium, "I definitely don't think something of that caliber will ever happen again, folks!" The large screen overhead that displayed the images of Aaron and Ash and their current Pokemon suddenly blotted the images of Infernape on Ash's side and Empoleon on Aaron's side.

Ash recalled his soaked Infernape while Aaron recalled his scorched Empoleon. The Pallet Town resident put away that Pokeball as he thought, _"Oh man...I knew Aaron was strong, but seeing his power first-hand is something else. His Lucario, Skarmory, and Empoleon were so skilled that whatever my Staraptor, Gliscor, and Infernape did he could counter it! I barely managed to beat those three..."_

"Ash, we're waiting." Aaron's voice suddenly spoke, snapping the raven-haired trainer back into his senses. He had not realized that Aaron had sent out a Bastiodon into the battle and was currently awaiting Ash's next choice of Pokemon. "Oh sorry for keeping you waiting, Aaron." Ash quickly apologized as he took out his next Pokeball, "But now the REAL fun begins! I'm going to show you that I can be a powerful trainer like you by showing my TRUE strength! Torterra, I choose you!" After that invigorating but short speech of determination, Ash tossed out his Pokeball and the Continent Pokemon was released, eager to take down the other behemoth on the side of the field.

"I'd be honored if you did so." Aaron muttered with an agog grin as Bastiodon dug its left back leg in readiness. "Begin!" The referee declared as he raised both of the flags.

"Here I come, Aaron!"

"Bring it, Ash!"

"Torterra, use Rock Climb!" Torterra's claws glowed white as it got onto its hind legs and slammed its front ones on the ground. The ground started to protrude from the flat surface until an elevated mesa-like structure was created. Bastiodon stood its ground as it was unwillingly raised into the air by the rocks. Then, Torterra began to scale the jagged face of the mesa, approaching Bastiodon to attack.

"Bastiodon, Avalanche." Bastiodon's eyes gained a cool white hue before raising its right front leg. The Shield Pokemon slammed its leg onto the surface of the top of the mesa and spontaneously summoned falling sleet and snow. The Avalanche traveled down all sides of the mesa, freezing the rocks and making the surface slippery. Torterra experienced this slipperiness when it suddenly lost control of its climbing when it encountered the Ice-type attack.

"Torterra!" Ash yelled at the Continent Pokemon began tumbling down the rocky incline uncontrollably. "Iron Head." Aaron commanded. "Bas!" Bastiodon roared as it jumped off the apex of the mesa and slid down the frozen face of the mesa. Then, as it slid, Bastiodon's body became surrounded by a white aura, making it seem black and white. Right as Torterra landed back onto the battlefield on all fours, Bastiodon rammed into the Grass/Ground-type powerfully.

"T-Tor!" Torterra groaned in pain as it tumbled farther back before regaining its composure. Bastiodon smirked as both the Avalanche and the Rock Climb disappear into oblivion. _"And that gives me reason to finish this battle more quickly."_ Ash thought and then enjoined, "Torterra, Energy Ball!"

"Get ready, Bastiodon." Aaron alerted, to which the Rock/Steel-type gave an affirmative grunt. Torterra opened its mouth and created green, photosynthetic sphere. Right as Aaron and Bastiodon were prepared for its discharge, the Continent Pokemon suddenly ate the Energy Ball. "What in the world?" Aaron exclaimed. "Bastio… (Looks like he couldn't wait for after the battle to eat…)" Bastiodon commented.

"Alright, here we go!" Ash said as he smiled eagerly. Suddenly, the oat-like tree and the trio of mountain peaks gained a light green sheen. "Tort…(No, Bastiodon…)" The Continent Pokemon growled before releasing a loud bellow to announce to the stadium it has been powered up, "TERRA! (I'M READY TO BEAT YOUR BEHIND!)"

"What seems to have happened, folks," the announcer said, "is that after Ash's Torterra consumed that Energy Ball, it gained a power-up!"

"I remember that!" Barry exclaimed shooting up from his seat, "He used that against my dad back at the Twinleaf Town Festival!" Brock smiled, "And now that Ash has done that, he'll be able to take down Aaron's Bastiodon, no sweat!" Dawn and Piplup cheered happily, "Go get it, Torterra!/Piplup (Take him down)!"

"Torterra, Leaf Storm!" Ash commanded. The tree on Torterra's back released a heavy cyclone of harsh green winds and plentiful green leaves. The Leaf Storm was heading straight for the unnerved Bastiodon. "Calm yourself, Bastiodon," Aaron assured soothingly, "Use the Shock Wave Shield!"  
Bastiodon suddenly grinned excitedly before creating a blue sphere of electricity in its mouth. Then, the ball released concentrated but controlled streams of electricity in the air around its body. A dense yellow circle appeared on the ground; Bastiodon was the center of this circle, and it was about 15 feet in diameter. A "globe" of yellow electricity was formed from the ring that enclosed Bastiodon. Finally, the streams of blue electricity emanating from the sphere moved about inside this "globe," forming three intersecting ellipses.

"Shock Wave Shield?" Ash echoed curiously. When the powered-up Leaf Storm connected against the Shock Wave Shield, it triggered an intense electrical reaction. The leaves were fried instantly and the harsh green winds were forcibly quelled. "What?" Ash exclaimed with wide eyes. Torterra was in an equally shocked state.

"Looks like Aaron has some strategies up his sleeve!" The announcer commentated. "…Or not." Brock said, regretting for speaking so soon. "…Now THAT I've never seen before." Barry deadpanned comically.

"A Bastiodon's statistics say that it is mostly made for defense," Aaron explained with a grin, "so what kind of Steel-type trainer would I be if I just let those capabilities go to waste? The Shock Wave Shield a strategy for my Bastiodon to endure tougher attacks and assaults. The protective barrier around Bastiodon becomes roused whenever in contact with opposing forces."

"I see." Ash responded curtly before commanding, "Energy Ball!"

"Now let me show you its offensive portions," Aaron spoke, "Hyper Beam!"

Torterra summoned another Energy Ball and this time discharged it. Bastiodon, with its mouth still brimming with blue electricity, unleashed an orange-yellow energy beam. The Hyper Beam has lines of yellow and blue electricity spiraling along the length of it. This particular Hyper Beam shredded through Torterra's Energy Ball, regardless of how powerful it was, and scored a nasty direct hit on the Grass/Ground Pokemon.

"Torterra!" Ash screamed as the Continent Pokemon was sent flying. The tortoise landed harshly on the ground beside Ash, creating an unpleasant rumble and causing Ash and Pikachu to stumble. Swirls replaced the Continent Pokemon's eyes as it groaned weakly.

"Torterra is unable to battle!" The ref officiated, "Bastiodon is the winner!" Torterra's image was blotted on Ash's side of the scoreboard. "And Aaron gains the lead again after showing off another deadly strategy courtesy of his Bastiodon!" The announcer commentated as the crowd cheered loudly. "Excellent, Bastiodon," Aaron encouraged, "Keep it up." Bastiodon nodded wordlessly as the Shock Wave Shield was dismissed.

"Return, Torterra," Ash recalled the fallen Grass/Ground-type and whispered words of gratitude. He then stowed that Pokeball away and pulled out another. "Floatzel, I choose you!" Ash threw it out, and the Sea Weasel Pokemon was released. "And out comes Ash's next choice, Floatzel!" the announcer said as Floatzel's image appeared on Ash's side of the scoreboard

"Begin!"

_"OK…I gotta watch out for that Shock Wave Shield…I guess it needs to be on the ground based on what it looked like when he used it…"_ Ash deliberated before verbally commanding, "Floatzel, use Aqua Jet! Aim for Bastiodon's legs!" Floatzel's became surrounding by water, and it propelled itself like a rocket toward Bastiodon after jumping into the air.

_"Whatever Ash is planning, I'm putting an end to it before fruition."_ Aaron thought before ordering, "Bastiodon, Avalanche!" The Shield Pokemon's eyes gained an ice blue hue as it summoned falling snow and ice in the way of Floatzel's path.

Ash smirked, "Thanks, Aaron! That'll actually help me out even more!" Aaron narrowed his eyes, "Why do you say that?" To answer Aaron's question, the Aqua Jet-induced Floatzel purged straight through the defensive Avalanche. The watery missile surrounding it suddenly began to freeze over. When Floatzel completely speared through Bastiodon's Avalanche, the Sea Weasel was engulfed in an ice missile.

Aaron's eyes widened in shock and realization, "Isn't that the Ice-Aqua Jet from the Wallace Up?"  
The raven-haired trainers' smirk widened, "You know it! Get 'im, Floatzel!"

"Floa!" The Water-type shrieked in obedience. The Ice-Aqua Jet successfully connected against Bastiodon's front legs and the ground beneath it. A small bush of ice protruded from the spot, causing the Shield Pokemon to be raise into the air some yards. "Now SonicBoom!" Ash commanded while throwing a fist. Jumping back from its creation, Floatzel swished its tail and sent out a swift blade of wind toward the ice. The resultant explosion sent Bastiodon flying further into the air.

"Look, everyone! Floatzel gave Bastiodon the ability to fly!" The announcer said humorously. "Good job, Ash!" Barry cheered, "You can hit that Bastiodon without worrying about counters! That thing isn't meant to be limber!"

"Alright, Floatzel!" Ash complimented passionately. He pointed his middle and index fingers at the airborne, discombobulated Bastiodon, "Hit Bastiodon with Ice Punch!" Floatzel's clenched fist glowed light blue as a light blue stream of energy span around it. The Sea Weasel Pokemon leaped into the air for the Rock/Steel-type and attempted to punch it.

Aaron took a deep, calming breath, "….Shock Wave Shield!" He commanded.  
Bastiodon once again performed the Shock Wave Shield. Only this time, without the ring present, a complete orbicular globe was formed around Bastiodon's body. Inside the globe, instead of intersecting ellipses, the electricity was fashioned like a spider web.

Ash's eyes widened in shock as Floatzel's Ice Punch connected against the Shock Wave Shield, "What the? NO WAY!"

Now it was the Metropolis Town resident's turn to smirk, "Yes way. You made a good initial supposition about the Shock Wave Shield being a ground-base strategy…But, that's why you don't judge anything based on first appearances." Proving Aaron's point, the intense electricity from the Shock Wave-Ice Punch clash took its toll on Floatzel. The Water-type screeched in searing agony as it was shocked by the improvised Electric-type move.

"Fine then!" Ash shouted indignantly, "Floatzel! Don't let the Shock Wave Shield beat you! You can beat that Bastiodon!" He encouraged the struggling Sea Weasel Pokemon. Gritting its teeth, Floatzel applied much pressure into its Ice Punch to try and break through the electrical globe. "No chance." Aaron objected and then commanded, "Game over. Iron Head."

A white aura engulfed Bastiodon, making it look black and white. Then, it rammed itself into the spot where electricity met iciness. Instantly, the Iron Head break through the connection and rammed into Floatzel. The electricity from the Shock Wave Shield supplemented its power. To make matters worse, the unbearable pain disallowed further use of Ice Punch. Now, Floatzel was being electrocuted entirely.

"Apparently, Aaron loves to keep his opponents guessing! I bet Ash how had NO idea Aaron and Bastiodon were prepare for the air as well!" The announcer said. "But…it can't be…" Ash mumbled dejectedly, "There's…just no way…" At this point, Bastiodon slammed Floatzel into the ground. The Shield Pokemon was atop of the Sea Weasel, the former resembling an admiral claiming land after a major war. Floatzel was apparently the land claimed, signaled the swirls in its eyes.

"Floatzel is unable to battle! Bastiodon is the winner!" The referee officiated as he raised his left-hand flag that represented Aaron's side. "And Aaron practically closes the door on Ash in probably the worst possible!" The announcer vociferated, "Ash has been rendered to his last Pokemon while Aaron still has three more to go!"

Ash was absolutely aghast; he could not believe how easily Bastiodon laid waste to both Torterra and Floatzel. Usually when he resorted to his trademark fiery determination, his Pokemon would be able to go against all odds and pull out a miracle, but the exact opposite just occurred, and he was now in the most unfavorable position he has experienced in his whole career.

"Oh Ash..." Dawn whispered sympathetically. "Man...Aaron has unbelievable skills..." Brock remarked uneasily, "He's one of the few trainers I've seen be able to do something like this." Dawn looked at Brock and asked, "Do you think Ash can rectify himself?" Brock did not look back but only bit his lips slightly as he said, "I honestly don't know, Dawn...but I think Ash may be finished."

"I sure would hate to be Ash right now…" Ritchie commented with crossed arms. "Hmph. Pathetic." Paul crossed his arms, "He might as well forfeit now. Aaron's Bastiodon is just going to destroy whoever the next pokemon is with that Shock Wave Shield." The purple-haired closed his eyes, "He may have changed my ways…but when it comes to the big league people like Aaron, he's OUT of his league."

Ash gritted his teeth and clenched his free hand as he recalled his fallen Floatzel back into its Pokeball. Aaron had a disappointed countenance as he placed both of his hands on his hips. He questioned his frustrated opponent, "What happened? I thought you were going to show me your true strength? Was that it right there?" Ash did not respond because he couldn't tell if Aaron was being genuinely confused or spitefully abrasive.

"Stop doing that." Aaron demanded austerely as he let his arms drop. "Stop what?" Ash spat back as Pikachu looked at him in disquietude. "You clenching your left hand and gritting your teeth," Aaron pointed out, "You showing obvious signs of frustration...you need to quit that right this moment!" Ash's formerly frustrated and aghast expression was suddenly replaced with a mystified and puzzled one. "You cannot allow yourself to become mad or frustrated at any time during a battle. If you do, you must catch that and stop yourself before your opponent does himself." Aaron coached critically, "Right now, I'm being merciful to you."

"But..." Ash complained softly, "Why you are-...How could-"

Aaron instantly cut him off with a question, "Ash, have you figured out my battling capabilities as I've ascertained yours?" Ash looked at him and replied with a shake of his head. "Throughout all of my battles, including this one, I let myself and my Pokemon stay in a defensive mode so that I can analyze my opposition's abilities and skills." Aaron explained as Bastiodon yawned in disinterest, "As it progresses, I deduce the best possible methods and counters so that I can proficiently battle. Concerning my Pokemon, I make sure they are adjusted to such by having their strengths suited for the worst case scenarios. It sounds tedious, but trust me, my Pokemon can do it perfectly and as quickly as possible. Even in the heat of battle, I am able to do this because I don't mad when things do not go as planned! I stay levelheaded so that I come back and claim victory!"

Ash looked up to the sky thoughtfully, _"Stay levelheaded, huh...?"_ He pondered on Aaron's words so that he could register it and finally understood why his performance was so meager. _"I see...Time to try it out then!"_

"Pikachu, you're up next!" Ash suddenly exclaimed as he faced Aaron with his determined expression returning. "Pika!" Pikachu rushed onto the battlefield as electricity sparkled in its crimson cheeks. Bastiodon smirked and ready for the next battle it had. "And finally after an invigorating speech from his opponent, Ash sends out his final Pokemon Pikachu!" The last slot on Ash's side of the screen brightened up to reveal Pikachu's image.

"Begin!"

"Time to end this game."

"Not on my watch, Aaron."


	8. Ash vs Aaron Part 3

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). The things I do own that will appear in the story are Aaron Shadow and, later, Ian Darusu. That's all.

**Sinnoh League Final: Ash vs. Aaron (Part 3)**

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded. The yellow mouse instantly dashed for Bastiodon while leaving an ivory trail. "Retaliate with Iron Head." Aaron countered. The Shield Pokemon charged at the attacking Pikachu while its body was coated in a white aura. The two Pokemon collided with each other and elicited an explosion.

Pikachu slid out of the resulting brown smoke on all fours, while Bastiodon emerged from the smoke seconds after it subsided. "OK, let's try this then…" Ash mumbled before commanding aloud, "Thunderbolt!" Pikachu's red cheeks sparked electricity before releasing a gold surge of lightning for the Shield Pokemon.

"Shock Wave." Aaron enjoined. Bastiodon releases flurries of azure sparks from its mouth straight toward the Thunderbolt. Both electrical attacks wound up cancelling each other. _"Huh…That time, he just used a regular Shock Wave rather than the Shock Wave Shield."_ Ash deliberated.

"Jeez, what can Ash do against Aaron's Bastiodon?" Barry asked while resting his chin in his palms as this elbows rested on his knees. "You have to admit," Conway spoke while adjusting his dark-framed glasses, "After seeing what it did to Floatzel and Torterra, it's quite the difficult to capitalize from that sort of situation."

"No need to worry!" Dawn spoke sanguinely as Piplup cheered in the foreground, "Ash will figure something!"

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded while pointing towards the Rock/Steel-type. "PikaPikaPikaPika…" The Mouse Pokemon charged at Bastiodon as golden electricity surrounded its small body, making it appear yellow and black. "Make it slip up with Avalanche." Aaron commanded austerely. "Bastio! (Freeze!)" Bastiodon howled as its eyes gained an ice blue glow. A case of snow and ice spontaneously appeared and littered the ground with snow-white mayhem.

Unfortunately for Pikachu, the ground was made slippery as it charged with Volt Tackle, so he tripped up after his first step onto the snowy layer. "Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed. "Shock Wave Shield." Aaron commanded, smirking lightly. The Volt Tackle-induced Pikachu was helpless to prevent itself from unintentionally colliding with Bastiodon's Shock Wave Shield. A great amount of electricity sparked across the battlefield as the two powerful Electric-type attacks clashed.

"No good!" Barry exclaimed in distress, "Pikachu lost all of its momentum from that Avalanche! It won't last against Bastiodon's Shock Wave Shield!"

"Get out of there, Pikachu!" Ash urged. The Mouse Pokemon, with great effort, rose back to its feet and forcibly pulled itself out of the Shock Wave Shield's range. A major electrical explosion was caused as the clash's polarity was radically disturbed from Pikachu's efforts.

Dawn and Barry sighed in solace as they slumped in their seats. "He barely avoided certain defeat." Conway stated. "You're right…" Brock agreed, "It was thanks to Volt Tackle and Pikachu's quick actions that it was able to escape."

"Pikachu, you OK?" Ash shouted to the yellow mouse, who nodded affirmatively. Ash nodded back as he looked at Aaron's Bastiodon and noticed something interesting. Bastiodon's body had excessive residual electricity sparking throughout it from the explosion, and the Shock Wave Shield was gone too. _"Wait…didn't Bastiodon have the upper hand?"_ Ash thought. It was then the Pride of Pallet Town suddenly got enlightenment, _"Wait! OK, so Bastiodon isn't a true Electric-type like Pikachu is…It can only take so much electricity. Maybe…just maybe…I can make Bastiodon's Shock Wave Shield work against it. It's worth a shot!"_

"Quick Attack, Pikachu! Head straight for the Bastiodon!" Ash ordered. Dawn, Brock, and Barry gasped in shock; Paul raised an eyebrow, "I wonder what Ketchum is thinking? That's a little reckless."

Unwaveringly, Pikachu dashed straight for the Rock/Steel-type while leaving an ivory blur behind it. "Is Ash even thinking?" Barry shouted in disbelief, "Aaron's just gonna use Shock Wave Shield again!"

"Don't trouble yourself," Aaron said before ordering, "Bastiodon, Shock Wave Shield once more!" Bastiodon smirked cockily before summoning the Shock Wave Shield again. Even though the protective globe was functioning again, Pikachu was still charging straight at it with Quick Attack. Aaron narrowed his brown eyes cautiously, _"What's going on in that head of yours, Ketchum?"_

Pikachu rammed itself small body straight into the Shock Wave Shield, the preceding reaction causing sparks to flare about wildly. "And the Shock Wave Shield blocks Pikachu's Quick Attack!" the announcer commentated.

"OK, Pikachu! Listen carefully!" Ash stated, "Use Quick Attack to run circles around the Shock Wave Shield! Stab an Iron Tail into it as you run! Then use Thunderbolt on my cue." Complying, the Electric-type used Quick Attack to trace the circumference of the Shock Wave Shield at a rapid pace. All the while, its alit tail was dragged across the still-flaring surface.

"What's up with the sequence of attacks just for that one move?" Barry questioned while scratching his head. "Yeah, I don't get it either…" Dawn said, just as confused as probably the majority of the spectators.

Bastiodon was getting dizzy just watching Pikachu run circles around it and the Shock Wave Shield. It couldn't grasp the reasons for Pikachu's three-stage command. The only thing it could see was that because Pikachu's Iron Tail continuously contacted the outside surface of the Shock Wave Shield, the defensive mechanism was activated constantly.

"OK! Now!" Ash instructed. Realizing that was the signal, Pikachu's red cheeks sparked before releasing electricity from its body. Unbelievably, the defensive reaction was reversed; the flares of lightning and sparks entered the inside of the globe and throwing the blue ellipses into disarray. "Now what in the world-" Aaron spoke but was silenced when his Bastiodon was suddenly shocked by Pikachu's Thunderbolt and its own Shock Wave Shield.

"Look at that!" The announcer exclaimed, "Somehow, Ash and Pikachu managed to bypass the Shock Wave Shield and attack Bastiodon indirectly. Not only is the Shock Wave Shield no longer working, Bastiodon is getting damaged immensely!"

"IRON TAIL!" Ash passionately shouted. Bastiodon, paralyzed from the previous Thunderbolt it was forced to endure, was powerless to prevent an impressive electrically-enhanced Iron Tail from lacerating its face and draining the last amounts of its energy. The Steel/Rock-type Pokemon fell over in defeat with swirls of discontinuity replacing its eyes. "Bastiodon is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" The ref announced as he raised the right-hand flag representing Ash and Pikachu. Ash took a deep breath to alleviate the nervousness welled inside his chest. "OK, so far thinking calmly is working." Ash said to himself.

"He did it!" Dawn cheered happily. "…But HOW did he do it?" Barry was in too much shock and confusion to actually praise Ash for his awesome achievement. "That's what I'm wondering," Conway said crossing his arms, "But I only can surmise that Aaron saw what we couldn't, and he'll explain."

"Not bad, Ash!" Aaron positively remarked as he recalled his fallen Bastiodon, "I won't lie. That was pretty cool what Pikachu did with Quick Attack. You purposely let it absorb and manipulate the Shock Wave Shield by running circles around Bastiodon. Next, you unleashed a Thunderbolt onto the Shock Wave Shield while its defensive reaction was underway to throw off the rotation. That only caused it to turn against Bastiodon; then, there was no way for my Bastiodon to react properly because of incapacitation. That's when you went for the kill with an Iron Tail!"

"Whoa. How elaborate is that?" Barry remarked in awe. "But Ash is nowhere near out of the woods yet," Brock cautioned, "He's got two more to go."

Ash nodded, smiling, "Thanks, Aaron. I couldn't have done it if you hadn't gave me that pep-talk!"

"Any time. I find it deplorable defeating an opponent that wallows in frustration unless they've proven they need to be. Now then, shall we continue?" Aaron stated with smirk as he took out his next Pokeball. "Oh yeah!" Ash cordially responded with an eager smirk. "Then you better get ready! Because this one's gonna REALLY test your mettle!" Aaron shouted as he threw out his Pokeball.

The Pokeball hovered in the air slightly before releasing popping open and releasing white light that materialized into possibly Pikachu's worst matchup ever; a Steelix.

"Aw man…" Ash groaned. Pikachu cowered, definitely feeling a strong inferiority complex while looking up to the Steel/Ground menace towering above it. "Uh-oh. A Steelix against a Pikachu spells trouble." Barry stated. "No doubt…" Brock muttered concurringly, "Steelix is immune to Electric-type attacks being a Ground-type and resists Iron Tail and Quick Attack being a Steel-type. Top it off with Steelix have raw power, Pikachu might not last.."

"No need to worry!" Dawn said optimistically, "If Pikachu beat Aaron's Bastiodon and that Shock Wave Shield, I'm betting on him beating Aaron's Steelix!"

"Begin."

"Alright, let's start with this," Ash said and then commanded, "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Retaliate with Dragon Pulse, Steelix." Aaron countered collectedly.

Pikachu used to Quick Attack to accelerate toward the Iron Snake Pokemon, who was firing azure draconic spheres at its running path. "Dodge 'em all!" Ash alerted. The Electric-type improvised by sharply sidestepping while using Quick Attack, dodging the Dragon Pulses as it approaches Steelix even further. "Jump and use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu jumped up high, in order to at least reach Steelix's head, as its zigzag tail glowed as glowing silver metallic substances coated it. "Parry with your own Iron Tail." Steelix raised its long tail, half of it being covered with silver metal energy too, and quickly threw it toward the rising Pikachu.

The two Iron Tails instantly clashed, but Pikachu was easily overwhelmed as it was thrown away, landing on the ground on all fours. "No good," Brock stated, "Steelix is too strong."

Aaron chuckled to himself, _"I wonder how you can save Pikachu from this situation, Ash Ketchum. But this battle is too important for me to drag out."_ The brunette strategist pointed at small yellow mouse and commanded, "Dragon Pulse." Steelix created an azure-green sphere in front of its mouth and released it toward Pikachu. "Dodge!" Ash commanded hastily, and Pikachu jumped to avoid it.

Aaron smirked, _"Right where I want you."_ "Steelix, pin!"

A flash of grey swept through Pikachu's eyes as suddenly overwhelming force pinned it to a large rock rooted on the battlefield. "PIKA!" It screamed in pain as it cracked open an eye to see what happened. Less than only a fraction of Steelix's long body tied Pikachu around the rock like an iron rope.

Gasps from the audience, including Brock, Barry, and Dawn sounded simultaneously. "Pikachu, NO!" Ash screamed. Pikachu helplessly flailed about to create any space to which freedom could be granted but no avail. Steelix had it bound to its place flawlessly; it was just too powerful!

"And Aaron's Steelix has got Ash's Pikachu right where it wants it!" The announcer shouted through all speakers, "And it looks like there is no way out!"

"And it looks like a slow Pokemon like Steelix has successfully shut down a speedster like Pikachu," Aaron announced with his smirk still alive, "Looks like it's game over, Ash. Steelix, end the battle with Hyper Beam."

Steelix growled as yellow-orange energy began to collaborate where its mouth was, charging up a Hyper Beam. Pikachu saw this, but it had no way of slipping through Steelix's tight grasp. Ash's mind was racing to find ways to save Pikachu, but the situation seemed hopeless. "No! Pikachu, get out of there!" Dawn yelled frantically; Piplup covered its eyes with its pom-poms, not wanting to witness the scene further. "This is going to get messy." Conway remarked. "_Really_ messy." Barry agreed.

Ian Darusu was watching this battle on TV at the lobby of a lodging center in Lake Valor, the site of the upcoming Sinnoh Grand Festival. He grinned as he said, "Casual yet merciless in battle as always, huh, Aaron? I knew after I beat Ash at Sunyshore City, there was NO way he could compare to you. Yet, I'm quite surprised he lasted this long."

Eventually, a dense yellow-orange was in front of Steelix's mouth, signaling the end of the charging sequence. "Aim and fire." Aaron said victoriously. A colossal beam of energy was discharged from the ball and straight for the trapped Pikachu. "PIKACHU!" Ash screamed. "Game over." Aaron declared.

A large, yellow explosion shook the battlegrounds upon impact.

"And Steelix's Hyper Beam hits its mark! There is no way Ash's Pikachu could have survived that powerful Hyper Beam!" The announcer vociferated. Steelix smirked proudly, Ash hung his head low, and Aaron proceeded to take out Steelix's Pokeball to recall it. "Well, I suppose that's that. You did very well, Ash-"

"PIKA! (I'M NOT OUT YET!)"

Suddenly, from the smoke and dust, a white blur dashed out and run up Steelix's long dark silver tail. It was Pikachu, much to everyone's surprise.

Steelix's crimson eyes widened with disbelief, Aaron's attention immediately shot to the miracle unfolding, the crowd gasped before bursting into excited hysterics, and Ash was rendered flabbergasted before he realized the situation. "Alright! That's my buddy!" Ash smirked, "Now give that Steelix an Iron Tail!"

Pikachu jumped straight toward Steelix's face and slammed an Iron Tail on it. The Iron Snake Pokemon had no choice but accept the full brunt of it. "Pikachu miraculously survives Steelix's Hyper Beam and successfully hits with an Iron Tail!" The announcer shouted. "That's how you get stuff done!" Dawn cheered. "That oughta teach that Aaron not to mess with Ash!" Barry shouted excitedly.

Pikachu back on the ground after delivering the blow, and Ash immediately asked, "Pikachu! How did you survive that?" Pikachu looked at its long-time friend with a smile, "Pika pika Pikachu. (I used a Thunderbolt help soften the blow. It's not the first time someone has pinned me down and fired a Hyper Beam point-blank.)" Ash nodded and inwardly sighed. Sometimes, it helped that their battle experience over the years would come back in important situations.

Steelix shook its head and glowered at Pikachu menacingly. At this time, Aaron simply gave up on finding a plausible explanation (having not heard Pikachu or being able to understand it) as to how the yellow mouse survived certain doom.

"And yet, Iron Tail did very little damage." Brock stated, "Steelix is one of the Pokemon with the highest known Defense. Pummeling it with meager moves like Quick Attack and Iron Tail is going to wear down Pikachu more than it will Steelix itself."

"But those are the only moves Pikachu knows!" Dawn objected, looking at the breeder in shock. "Exactly. It's going to take more than one miracle for Pikachu to get past Aaron's Steelix." Brock said.

"Fine then. The battle continues." Aaron proclaimed before commanding, "But I'm afraid all restraints have been terminated. Aqua Tail!" Half of the Steel/Ground-type's tail was coated in a rich azure aura. It slammed it on the ground and caused multiple pillars of water to arise on the battlefield. "Get a move on, Pikachu!" Ash alerted. Pikachu sprinted for Steelix again, sidestepping every geyser that erupted near it.

Unfortunately, one geyser managed to catch Pikachu approximately ten meters from Steelix. "PI!" The Electric-type shrieked as the pillar carried it upward quickly. "Dragon Pulse, Steelix." Aaron commanded. Steelix opened its mouth and released another Dragon Pulse for Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to knock it back!" Ash countered. Gaining proper footing on the top of the geyser, Pikachu managed to leap off and swing a glowing tail at the Dragon-type attack. The azure-green sphere was knocked back to Steelix's face and exploded on impact. "Talk about in your face!" the announcer commentated.

"Too bad that STILL isn't enough damage…Steelix-type resists Dragon-type attacks too" Brock explained. "Jeez, how many types do Steel-types resists?" Barry asked irritably. Conway adjusted his glasses before answering intelligently, "Steel-types resist eleven out of the seventeen types out there and are immune to Poison. Steelix's secondary Ground-typing grants it immunity to Electric-type attacks, but Grass- and Ice-type attacks do normal damage. But as you can see, neither Pokemon has any moves of the sort."

"So there's no way to sufficiently damage that metal tank out there?" Barry exclaimed questioningly. "Unless…" Brock spoke again, "If Ash can devise a way to use Steelix's Aqua Tail against it. Because Steelix is part-Ground, it's weak against Water-type attacks."

By this time, Steelix was using Iron Tail to try and strike Pikachu apparently going on the offensive. Pikachu was using its speed to dodge each and every swing from the large tail. Pikachu jumped to evade another swing but was positioned in front of a large boulder. Aaron saw this acutely and commanded, "NOW! Pin!"

Instantly, Steelix jabbed an Iron Tail forward. "Jump!" Ash exclaimed, and Pikachu immediately jumped to avoid the jab and landed on top of Steelix's tail. "Aqua Tail. Get it off!" Aaron commanded. Steelix's tail was once again coated with blue. Spontaneously, a watery shockwave began its descent from the very top of Steelix's tail.

"Pikachu, protect yourself with Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu produced sparks in its red cheeks and released jolts of electricity straight into the Aqua Tail-induced tail of Steelix. Astoundingly, the wave was stopped and Steelix suffered electrifying pain. "What the?" Aaron exclaimed, "Now there's no way!"

Pikachu jumped off Steelix as the Steel/Ground-type staggered backward. _"That's it!"_ Ash mentally exclaimed, _"Water conducts electricity! I can use Steelix's Aqua Tail to attack using Thunderbolt! It can't take it!"_

"He did it." Brock smiled. "B-But, there's no way!" Conway shouted outrageously. "On normal circumstances, no," Brock elucidated, "But because water conducts electricity, not even immune Pokemon are safe from harm. Ash has exposed that against Ground-types in the past before."

"I'm through playing these kid games." Aaron sneered and then ordered, "Steelix, Aqua Tail!" Recovering from its shock, Steelix roared before slamming an Aqua Tail on the ground. A giant wave of the same caliber as a Surf was produced.

"Pikachu, go straight through it with Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded. Pikachu rushed forward as an electrical aura encompassed its body. "Taking that Aqua Tail head-on?" Barry questioned. "Ash, be careful about what you're doing!" Brock yelled.

Pikachu dove headfirst into the wave created by Aqua Tail with Volt Tackle. The intense electricity surged through every H20 molecule and traced it back to the source, Steelix's tail. The Steel/Ground-type roared in pain as it was introduced to more shocks, thanks to the electricity its blue tail was conducting. "That's impossible! A Steelix should be immune to Electric attacks!" Aaron shouted with outrage.

Right after Aaron said that, Pikachu emerged from the weak wave, Volt Tackle still active. "Now switch to Iron Tail and finish it off!" Ash ordered smirking and throwing a fist. Pikachu dismissed Volt Tackle and jumped high into the air toward Steelix's grimacing face. "Counter with Hyper Beam! Hurry!" Aaron ordered anxiously.

Too late.

Steelix roared in pain as Pikachu slashed its face with a powerful spinning Iron Tail. "Steelix, no!" Aaron shouted in disbelief as the colossal Steel/Ground Pokemon collapsed to the ground with a booming thud. "Steelix is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" The announcer was thrown into joyous hysteria, "ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Pikachu has defied all laws of physics as it stands as Steelix's conqueror in this round!"

Aaron blinked in avid disbelief as he recalled Steelix and contemplated, _"Wow...Pikachu's only offensive move was Iron Tail this whole time yet Ash managed to revolutionize it and beat my Steelix. Man, Ash is a good strategist when he wants to be."_ The brunette suddenly let an animated smirk form across his face as he announced, "Now I'm very interested to see how this battle is going to end! I think it's time this we settle this, Ketchum!"

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Shadow!"

"Magneton!" Aaron shouted informatively. The Magnet Pokemon behind him nodded and floated onto the battlegrounds. The sixth and final spot on Aaron's line of Pokemon lit up and revealed Magneton's image. "This battle is breathtaking..." Dawn said completely happy and excited to be able to witness greatness at its pinnacle. "You can say that again, Dawn!" Brock agreed zestfully, "We can officially say these two are on equal grounds now!"

"And it has come down to this, folks!" The announcer boomed elatedly, "Aaron's signature Magneton versus Ash's signature Pikachu! Which Electric-type will win? We'll just have to find out!"

"Begin!"

"Thunderbolt, Magneton." Aaron commanded, starting off the final round. "Magneton!" Magneton yelled robotically before releasing powerful surges of electricity from its magnets. Pikachu was hit with the Thunderbolt almost instantaneously. From that strike, Pikachu could already deduce something; the Thunderbolts the Electric/Steel-type Pokemon had were going to be more arduous to endure than any other Electric-type Pikachu had faced.

Magneton ceased using Thunderbolt to watch Pikachu's next action. "Show it a real Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Ash commanded. Pikachu sparked electricity in its cheeks, but before it could release its attack, it collapse onto one knee. "Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in concern. "Your Pikachu had commendable victories against my Bastiodon and Steelix," Aaron said with crossed arms, "But it seems that exhaustion from battling those two have finally caught up."

"I knew something like this was going to happen." Brock muttered forebodingly, "Pikachu is way too weak and tired to survive against Aaron's fully-rested Magneton." Barry started pulling at his blond locks, "Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! COME ON, PIKACHU!"

Aaron uncrossed his arms, "Hm. Flash Cannon." Magneton collected silver energy in the middle of its body and released a silver beam for the pure Electric-type. "Here it comes, Pikachu!" Ash alarmed. Pikachu forced itself back onto its feet and finally released Thunderbolt. The electrical attack collided with the Flash Cannon and both attacks immediately canceled each other out.

"Now go for Iron Tail!" Ash enjoined. Pikachu dashed for the Magnet Pokemon, jumped up, and swung an Iron Tail at it. "Dodge by separating." Aaron commanded. "Magne! (Too slow!)" Magneton said as it suddenly split into three Magnemites, causing Pikachu to miss its mark entirely.

"How the heck?" Ash yelled with shock. Pikachu frantically looked around to see a trio of Magnemite was floating around it. "Folks, allow me to explain what's happening," the announcer said, "A Magneton is the result of three Magnemite linked together by strong magnetic forces. Apparently, Aaron and his Magneton have created a way to break that link temporarily."

"With that said, I guess I should end this quickly," Aaron declared while adjusting his hat, "Magneton, Magne Current!"

Ash and Pikachu were put on high-alert; Aaron was going to use another one of his infamous strategies. "I don't like the sound of that." Barry said fearfully. "Aaron has strategies that should be feared," Dawn said, "Anyone would feel apprehensive to know he's using one."

"Magnetoooon…." The three Magnemite droned with effort as they appeared to be charging up energy for a Flash Cannon. A silver ball was created in front of their respective bodies. Then, they suddenly released a Thunderbolt onto the spheres, causing silver waves of electricity to spread and link to all three Magnemites. Pikachu was surrounded by a transparent white dome and was then mercilessly shocked by silver electricity.

"Pika…!" The yellow mouse yelled painfully as the Magne Current performed its job. "Pikachu! NO!" Ash shouted with worry.

Aaron proceeded to explain, "The Magne Current utilizes the fact that a Magneton is composed of three Magnemite, and the magnetic field that links them together. By making them separate and surround your Pikachu, they created a perimeter in which they want your Pikachu to be in. Then, by using both Flash Cannon and Thunderbolt, they ignite the perimeter their target is in with a strong electrical field."

With mere seconds, Pikachu fell to the ground as the Magne Current stopped. "And Pikachu succumbs to the power of the Magne Current!" the announcer commentated. "Game over." Aaron proclaimed as the three Magnemite reconnected to a single Magneton. "I thought it would happen," Brock sighed, "I'm just glad Aaron ended quick enough."

The referee looked at Pikachu and proceeded to officiate, "Pikachu is unable to-"

"Magneton? (Just what was that?)" The Magnet Pokemon taunted. Pikachu weakly opened up one eye to look at the Electric/Steel-type with faltering vision. "Magne Mag. (You had me on high hopes after seeing you battle,)" Magneton turned its back to the yellow mouse and began floating over to Aaron, "Mag…(What a disappointment…)"

_"…..Pikachu! (….Oh, there is NO way some metallic floating thing is going to belittle ME like that!)"_ Pikachu thought vehemently. Incredibly, Pikachu managed to find an unknown extra source of energy. It forced itself onto its feet and released a Thunderbolt for Magneton, hitting its mark. Ash's eyes widened while Aaron remained soundless after seeing this.

Pikachu stopped using Thunderbolt, and Magneton slowly turned around to face it. "M-Mag..ne…! (N-Now…THAT'S what I'm talking about!)" The Electric/Steel-type Pokemon commented painstakingly, chuckling alacritously. "Whoa…Pikachu damaged Aaron's Magneton!" Barry said with disbelief. Conway crossed his arms, "Hmph. That shouldn't count. Magneton's back was turned."

"Looks like the game's not over yet, Aaron!" Ash declared, smiling brightly. "Uch." Aaron sneered to himself. "Think you can handle that Magneton, Pikachu?" The Pride of Pallet Town asked. Pikachu gave Ash a reassuring thumbs-up, "Pi! (Watch me!)"

"Magne. (Now knocking you off your high horse has more merit,)" Magneton said expectantly; if it possessed a mouth, it would smirking, "Magneton! (Give a command, Aaron!)" Aaron's brown eyes hardened, "Ask and you shall receive, my dear Magneton. Swift."

Magneton's magnets flashed a golden color before unleashing a barrage of golden stars at Pikachu. "Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded. Pikachu charged straight into the Swift as another aura of electricity surrounded its body. With respectable difficulty, Pikachu managed to purge through the Swift and was en route to Magneton itself.

"Dodge." Aaron commanded. Magneton separated into three Magnemites again, watched as Pikachu passed by them, and reconnected behind it. But, interestingly enough, Pikachu continued to go forward now en route for Aaron himself. "….What are you doing, Pikachu?" Aaron questioned with dilated eyes. "M-MAG! (D-DON'T DO THAT!)" Magneton ordered as it hurriedly pursued.

Ash and Pikachu both smirked; they had fallen for it.

Suddenly, Pikachu performed a backflip while still using Volt Tackle. Magneton halted as all three of its eyes widened in surprise. Aaron was too relieved to comprehend what was transpiring. "Volt Tail!" Ash commanded. Pikachu, who was now positioned directly above Magneton in the air, dive-bombed for it as its tail was covered with metallic substances.

"Magneton- (What the-)" Magneton spoke but was hit by the Volt Tail as an explosion occurred. Aaron scoffed at how easily Ash and Pikachu were able to fool him and Magneton. But he couldn't help but smile, that was two good tactics he used in order to accomplish that, "You little slick." Ash grinned innocently as Pikachu jumped out of the smoke and rubble, "I know."

Magneton arose from the smoke and rubble as well. "Even after scoring some good, hefty hits, Aaron's Magneton still stares healthily at Ash's Pikachu!" the announcer said. "Oh man, if Ash keeps this up, he might beat Aaron's Magneton!" Barry proclaimed happily. "But how is Pikachu getting all this extra energy. Steelix and Bastiodon so big a number on it before it took on Aaron's Magneton." Dawn said inquiringly.

"I've traveled with Ash for so long, I can answer that accurately," Brock responded as Pikachu and Magneton continued to duke it out. The two exchanged Thunderbolts, Swifts, Iron Tails, and Flash Cannons. The two delivering blows and dodging blows like nobody's business.

"Determination plays a factor. Ash has utilized that in practically all of his battles. It's what drives him to win. All of his Pokemon reflect that inner desire, that raw fire, to give THEM the ability to win as well. At first, it didn't work against Aaron because he and his pokemon can shatter that perseverance with their plans and strategies. I honestly believe the moment Aaron revealed Ash his strategy is when the tide began to dramatically shift. I also believe when Magneton and Pikachu had their verbal exchange after use of that Magne Current played a role in Pikachu's own resolve as well."

"Ladies and gentlemen, these two are going at it!" the announcer commentated with his interest through the roof. The crowd was going wild too. Ash and Aaron already had an exciting before this certain duel. Pikachu and Magneton going at it like they were only supplemented the enjoyment.

After another connection of Thunderbolts ended in an explosive stalemate, both Electric-types were pushed backward closer to their trainers.

"IT'S WE TIME WE FINISH THIS!" Aaron and Ash shouted collectively.

"Magneton, Hyper Beam with all your might!" Aaron commanded anxiously.

"Pikachu, full-power Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded with gusto.

Both Pokemon knew this was it...all or nothing...winner take all. Using their last bit of their energy from the exhausting battle, they began the phases of their final attack. Magneton charged up orange-yellow energy in the center of its metallic body; Pikachu rushed forward while covering itself with a vast amount of intense electricity. In the current circumstances, it seemed that the Mouse Pokemon would be able to connect Volt Tackle before Magneton could complete charging Hyper Beam.

"Here it comes!" Brock exclaimed as the final clash was beckoning. "Oh I can't watch!" Dawn cried out as she turned away, unable to suppress the suspense anymore. Barry couldn't tear his eyes away from the battle even if he tried. Conway remained placid as he adjusted his glasses. If he had the proper instrument, Nando would have played a tune to suit the intense mood. Ritchie and Sparky were making mental notes to prepared themselves extra harder in case they were going to battle Ash again (or Aaron for that matter). Finally, Paul knew much work was going to have to be done in order to be on Ash's level again.

"Pika Pika Pika PIIII-KA!" A Volt Tackle-induced Pikachu was now directly in front of the Electric/Steel-type pokemon and vigorously hopped up in order to deliver the strike. "DO IT!" Aaron screamed at the top of his lungs. Magneton instantaneously discharged Hyper Beam, but was in such close proximity to Pikachu that the resulting explosion engulfed them both.

Aaron and Ash pulled down their respective hats so that their eyes could be shielded from the smoke and dust kicked up from the powerful implosion. "Forget what I said about Empoleon and Infernape!" The announcer yelled in suspense, "This is a true clash of the titans, except between two Electric-types! But sadly there can only be ONE victor in this awesome bout!" Everyone knew he was right. Either Pikachu or Magneton would be the winner and it would be revealed when the smoke decides to subside.

Eventually, the smoke did such. Every single person and Pokemon spectating the match-up, either at home or live, were literally on the edge of their seats as the smoke finally thinned out to reveal the status of both Pokemon. Magneton was floating in the air staring indignantly at Pikachu while the latter was standing on its feet returning the stare. No one moved, no one even breathed, and certainly no one spoke as they let fate decided the next event.

Magneton and Pikachu's expression softened into expressions of respect and thankfulness...Then, a small thud sounded to signal the end of the one of them...

"...Pikachu is unable to battle!" The ref officiated. The pure Electric-type was the Pokemon that fell inferior to its conqueror; Ash gasped but he could not feel sad, frustrated, or even disappointed...in fact, he was happy and proud. "Magneton is the winner and the victory goes to Aaron!"

"And Aaron is the winner of this monumentally explosive Sinnoh League final!" the announcer shouted as the crowd matched his high volume. Ash's side of the scoreboard went away so that Aaron's image, along with the line of six pokemon he used in the battle, took up the whole screen. The words "WINNER" in glorious gold letters were displayed above them.

"…I think my heart just stopped." Aaron said, unable to completely register what happened. Magneton tiredly floated over to Aaron as it stated, "Magne…(Then let me shock some sense into you.)"

"Get back." Aaron demanded when Magneton's magnets made a motion for his body. Magneton laughed before embracing with its victorious master, "Magneton…(We won again, Aaron…)" Aaron smiled happily, "All because of you, Magneton. We are winners of yet another Pokemon League Conference!"

Ash walked out to the scarred battlefield and fatherly picked up the defeated Pikachu. "You did so well, Pikachu. And you almost won me that." Ash said appreciatively. "Pika…(Thanks, Ash…)" Pikachu acknowledged tiredly.

**-LATER-**

"And now, Mr. Charles Goodshow and Sinnoh League Champion Cynthia, shall present our winner, Aaron Shadow of Metropolis Town, with the trophy." the announcer said. The short old man, who was carrying the golden trophy, and the black-clad blonde woman approached Aaron and his Magneton, who were in the Winner's Circle.

"Congratulations, Aaron. Your performances all battles you have participated in this conference reflect on how you truly deserve this." Cynthia said, smiling. "She speaks no lie, my boy." Mr. Goodshow said as he handed the trophy to the brunette. Aaron and Magneton bowed reverently after accepting their award, "Thank you, ma'am and sir."

Everyone, participators and viewers, began clapping and cheering for Aaron and Magneton's success. Among them were Ash, Dawn, and Brock. "Well, you came close, Ash," Brock said while clapping, "But at the end of the day, Aaron got the gold." Ash stopped clapping so that he could shrug his shoulders, "That just means me and Pikachu gotta trainer harder." Pikachu nodded, "Pi! (Indeed!)"

"Well, he's gonna regret going all-out against you, Ash," Dawn said determinedly, "Because up next is the Grand Festival, and I'm going to beat him and win it all!"

Seems here that one battle can sparks a hundred others. Ash, Aaron, and the rest of the company will continue to experience these battles as long as the World of Pokemon continues to exist.

**Author Notes**

And there you have it; the ending to Ash vs. Aaron. In all honesty, I'm tempted to also feature a number of oneshots afterward on Pokemon Story that will tie in alot of things to Pokemon Story 2: The Great Adventure. There's a possibility, as 95% of said oneshots are done as is. So, yeah. If PS is continued to be update, you'll see them. If not, then meh.

Adios and Adieu for now!


	9. Extra Chapter 1: Past of a Strategist I

**Author Notes  
**

I recently realized how much stuff I have on Pokemon on DeviantArt compared to here. It's a feeling that's been irking me for the longest. But my organization on DeviantArt is very fragmented whereas, here, I wanted everything neat, organized, and tidy. However, I've also gotten better reception on DeviantArt because of all the stuff that's been featured. So, as of now, I'm going to submit most of the extra Pokemon stuff here for you guys' viewing pleasure. Starting with this!

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are the Shadow Family and its members and Metropolis Town.

**Extra Chapter 1: Past of a Strategist Part I**

The skies were clear, partly cloudy and magnificently beautiful over a city in the Orre Region. The scenery was metropolitan and busy. The semi-tall architecture giving off a captivating light blue sheen and the busy streets below crowded with people and Pokemon. For now, the main attraction turns to the rural area of this area. A house upon a large ranch-like milieu with a slight forest surrounding it. Near the wooden gate stood a young man, around eight years of age, and a girl, around seven years of age. The girl had bistre-colored hair, a white T-shirt, and silver shorts. The boy had brown spiky hair, a black undershirt, and grayish-colored pants. The girl was tending to her Spheal while the boy watched. "I still can't believe Mom and Dad let you catch a Spheal, Chandra." The boy said, "You're really lucky." The girl, now identified as Chandra, replied, "I guess so, Aaron, that just leaves you without a Pokemon." The boy, now identified as Aaron, stayed silent. Apparently, he was the only of the family without a pokemon.

"Chandra! Aaron! Come out to the ranch!" A voice from inside the house called out. "Coming, Bruce." Chandra notified. "Well, brother calls." Aaron said as he began to walk to the house. "Yeah." Chandra agreed as he followed her older brother carrying Spheal.

**-Out at the ranch-**

"So, Bruce, what's up?" Aaron inquired as he checked his mother's Tauros. "Mom and Auntie went out to the city and Dad and Granddad wants us to check up on the pokemon." Bruce, Chandra and Aaron's younger brother, announced. "So, basically, we have to look out for them like we also do…" Aaron summarized, now turning to his father's Fearow. "Yup." Chandra stated as she brushed the hair on her grandma's Persian. This was a usual day for the three siblings. It was slowly progressing as the children achieved their pokemon. Bruce was the first, receiving an Elekid when he was just 5. Chandra was, as told before, recently got her Spheal. Now, Aaron was the only one left. He had experience as he took care of his older relative's Pokemon.

His dad was a renowned pokemon trainer. He took on many gym battles with awe-striking skills and won three Pokemon League Championships. He even challenged two Elite Four members only winning one of the two fights. His mother was a coordinator, just as renowned as her husband. She won many contests using captivating and beautiful techniques and won three Grand Festivals. Aunt Catherine, her sister, even said she took on a Contest Master once, but lost unfortunately. Their respective siblings and parents did not possess as much as they did, but performed rather well (Although, they are retired now).

Aaron looked up to his parents' skills. One day, he would take on both Pokemon Contests and Gym Battles and exceed his parents' reputation.

When he finished attending to his fathers' Fearow, he looked out into the wide pasture and the pokemon roaming casually. He really wanted an adventure and fast, but he was only eight so he could not qualify for any leagues. Suddenly, he saw some flashes of electricity out near the forest. "Hmm?" He hummed quizzically. "Hey, you see that?" Chandra asked. "I'll go get Dad, Uncle, and Granddad." Bruce announced as he rushed into the house. Taking matter into his own hands, Aaron rushed over to the site. "Aaron, wait!" Chandra called out pleadingly, but her older brother did not listen and continued going.

He reached the scene of some of the pokemon (including Bruce's Elekid) near a bush. Elekid was crackling with electricity and growled. Aaron stepped forward and kneeled down beside Elekid, "What's going on?" Elekid proceeded to answer in its own language. Luckily, Aaron understood Pokemon Language rather fluidly and comprehended what it was saying. "So there's something in those bushes attacking you all…" Aaron repeated as he began to approach the bush. "Aaron, get back!" A domineering command sounded. Aaron turned to see his father approaching. Aaron obliged and shifted so that his father could have some room.

His father possessed a long-sleeved, zipped-up, burgundy, zipped-up jacket and dark blue hair. He also was wearing blue jeans. Cautiously, he reached out his hand, moved the branches, leaves, twigs forcibly aside, and looked at what was causing the ruckus. A Magnemite, looking somewhat injured and afraid, laid there electricity crackling slightly. Elekid exclaimed angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Magnemite. "So this is what's causing so much trouble?" Aaron's dad said. Gently, he extended his hand to Magnemite. "It's OK, we won't hurt you." He reasoned. Magnemite was not buying it and crackled electricity with more concentrated power. "Magne…" It growled as it continued to spark electricity.

"This Magnemite seems really threatened." Aaron's dad said, "Just what did Elekid do?" Elekid replied speaking its language. "Unfortunately, Elekid may have attacked it unknowingly." Aaron declared, translating the Electric-type pokemon. Aaron's dad again attempted to calm the Magnet Pokemon but it continued flaring electricity threateningly. "I don't know if this thing's being territorial, threatening, or is just plain scared." The father stated. "It's injured." Aaron pointed out. The father looked at his son questioningly. Aaron pointed to an injury mark on its left magnet. "And it probably does feel threatened or scared." Aaron added on. "You may be right, son." The experienced trainer concurred as he eyed the injury.

Aaron extended his hand toward Magnemite who watched carefully. "Careful, son." The older person admonished. As Aaron's hand approached it, Magnemite sparked electricity more denser. "Calm down, we just want to help you." The younger male reasoned. His hand managed to touch Magnemite. "Magne!" the Magnet Pokemon sparked electricity wildly causing Aaron to recoil slightly. "No one's gonna hurt you." He persisted even after receiving a slight shock. This time, Aaron extended both of his hands. Magnemite closed its eyes and turned slightly, electricity still prominent. Aaron managed to Magnemite in both of his hand. The Magnet Pokemon somehow calmed slightly feeling the caring and welcoming touch. It allowed itself to be carried out of the bushes and stopped producing electricity.

Aaron stood up still holding the calm Magnemite. "Nice job, Aaron." His father commented, "Let's go fix it up now." Aaron nodded and they walked back into the house.

**-LATER-**

"All right, all better." Aaron announced as he let Magnemite hover beside him. Magnemite had white bandages around its injured magnet. "Magne…" It droned looking at the bandages. "So should we keep it here, Dad?" Bruce inquired. "I guess so until it heals." Aaron's father answered. Aaron rubbed Magnemite's smooth, steel exterior gently. "You're in great hands, Magnemite, you'll be all fine soon." Aaron assured. Magnemite looked at the human and actually looked a bit happy. Its mood had shifted ever since it met Aaron. But soon their bond would be tested…

**-EVEN LATER-**

Aaron leaned against the wooden fence with Magnemite hovering adjacent to him. The day had pretty much gone smoothly. Aaron was actually happy to attend to Magnemite. Even though it wasn't _his_pokemon, he treated it as such. Magnemite also seemed to only show Aaron slight affection.

Suddenly, jets of silk shot out from the trees. Aaron caught this at the last second, grabbed Magnemite, and evaded. "Magnemite?" Magnemite exclaimed in surprise. Aaron sought Ariados in the trees, looking as fierce as ever. "Not these things again…" Aaron groaned. Apparently, Aaron has encountered these familiar Ariados before. The intimidating spider-like pokemon crawled down and slowly approached the two. _"I'd better get out of here fast."_Aaron thought. However, an Ariados fired a String Shot, grabbed Magnemite, and reeled in it. "Magnemite!" Aaron cried out. "Magnemite!" It shouted. The Ariados proceeded to flee while carrying Magnemite. "Get back here!" Aaron demanded as he chased them down. "Aaron, hold it!" a voice commanded. Aaron's father appeared halting Aaron from continuing. "Dad." "Those Ariados came back?" "Yeah, and they took Magnemite as well." "…I see. You stay here, I'll go after them."

"No!" Aaron shouted in defiance surprising the father, "I want to save Magnemite as well! Take me with you!" The dark-haired paternal unit stayed silent. He recognized that kind of outburst. It was the kind of a trainer would make whenever his or her pokemon become involved. "OK, let's go." He said. Aaron nodded and they two proceeded to pursue Ariados and the kidnapped Magnemite.

**-ELSEWHERE-**

The Ariados inserted Magnemite into its wed. Many other helpless pokemon were trapped. Magnemite desperately tried to shock itself free but it couldn't produce enough to destroy the sticky webs. Magnemite felt like giving hope that he wouldn't be saved, that it would be trapped there for a long time just like the rest of the pokemon.

"Magnemite!"

Magnemite became fully attentive to the voice calling out to it. It was Aaron with his father right beside him. The Ariados crawled in front of the web ready to fight. "Aaron, I'll take care of the Ariados, you get Magnemite and the rest of the pokemon if you can." Aaron's father instructed. "Got it, Dad." He replied.

Aaron's dad then released Fearow from its Pokeball and commanded it to use Sky Attack. The large bird glowed an ivory color and flew into the group of Ariados. It connected the Bug/Poison-types dispersed. "Aaron, go!" Aaron's father signaled. Aaron immediately rushed to the web. "Magnemite, you OK?" Aaron asked he began to trying to peel away thick layers of the web. Magnemite did not respond. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." He said continuing his efforts. An Ariados managed to regain its composure and fire a Poison Sting at Aaron's back. Aaron shrieked in pain as the purple darts needled his back. "Magnemite!" Magnemite screamed out in surprise and as its only eye widened. "Get away from my son!" Aaron's father bellowed angrily, "Fearow, Hyper Beam!" The large sparrow-like bird opened its massive break and discharged an orange/yellow beam and it connected against the Ariados that just fired Poison Sting. Magnemite was concerned about as he slumped slightly. However, the 8-year-old mustered up his strength again, "Don't….worry about me…I'm here to..get you out of here…and that's what I'm gonna do…" Aaron said as he endured the pain that came from the Poison Sting.

Magnemite was still in major disbelief. Never had it had someone take a bullet (almost literally) for him and it was human nonetheless. He was extremely grateful and wanted to return the favor. Magnemite proceeded to squirm trying to use its screws and magnets to cut the web to assist Aaron in saving it. Eventually, they managed to get Magnemite free. Aaron grabbed Magnemite and ran back to his father's side. Despite the fact that the Ariados were getting pummeled by Fearow, they continued to persist. Fearow was just about to fire another Hyper Beam until Magnemite suddenly got in front of it. Fearow looked at it questioningly and so did its trainer. Magnemite began to spark electricity, coursing through its body.

Aaron looked at Magnemite. It looked ready for an attack but it hadn't done it. What was it waiting for? Aaron then realized it, Magnemite wanted its attack to be called out…like a trainer and its pokemon. Aaron was elated, it was finally happening and he knew just the attack Magnemite wanted to perform, "Magnemite, Thundershock attack!" He commanded. Magnemite then released that electricity. The yellow sparks flared majestically and powerfully. It struck all the Ariados shocking them and burning them all to a crisp. The stray sparks managed to strike the web net and free the remaining pokemon. After it settled, all the Ariados had swirls of discontinuity in their eyes and were motionless.

"Yes! We did it!" Aaron cheered happily as he ran over and hugged Magnemite warmly. Aaron's father looked at the sight in deliberation. He then smiled happily, _"I knew this day would come eventually."_Magnemite became thrilled itself. Its countenance transformed to display its jubilance. Electricity sparked from it again. "Huh? What's wrong, Magnemite?" Aaron inquired. He got his answer. Magnemite shocked Aaron out of sheer happiness. Aaron screamed out as such happened and when it finished, he collapsed to the ground. Magnemite sweat-dropped nervously. "Was….That…suppose to happen?" Aaron groaned. "Yes it was. Magnemite is just happy is all." Aaron's father answered. "Aaron, you just proved to me that you're ready." Aaron regained his composure immediately after hearing that statement, "Ready for what?" Aaron's father reached into his pocket and took out a small, reduced in size pokeball from. "You're ready to have your own Pokemon. You and Magnemite have just displayed a bond that trainer and pokemon usually share." He lectured and extended the tool to the skeptic Aaron, "Here, take it and capture Magnemite. Accept your first pokemon."

Aaron stayed silent and averted his gaze to Magnemite. "Do you really want me to be your trainer?" He asked. Magnemite nodded in agreement. Aaron now began to smile from ear-to-ear. "OK then!" Aaron took the pokeball, enlarged it, and tapped Magnemite with it. The Pokemon reduced to infrared matter and was sucked into the contraption. The ball shook slightly and the button blinked red, but that faltered to a stop. A ting sounded signaling a complete capture. Aaron eyed the pokeball. He was practically a bundle of positive emotions. Aaron felt a hand touch his shoulder. It was his dad's. "You make me proud, son." He declared. Aaron's grin (which was already wide) expanded even more, "Thanks, dad." He acknowledged. _"In two years, I hope to start my journey to become a great trainer and coordinator with the help of my best buddy, Magnemite."_


	10. Extra Chapter 2: Past of a Strategist II

**Author Notes  
**

This chapter officially ends the "Past of a Strategist" two-shot. Also, keep in mind that these extra chapters are actually pretty darn old. You can probably tell. I just too much going on now to edit them to "perfection."

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are the Shadow Family and its members and Metropolis Town.

**Extra Chapter 2: Past of a Strategist Part II**

Weeks went by since that fateful day, and Aaron and Magnemite could not have been any happier. Not much had happened in-between this time span. Except that Aaron's parents allowed their children to have a free-for-all, their first pokemon battle. Chandra's Spheal was the first to go since it was battling two Electric-types. Surprisingly, even with the use of Fire Punch, Bruce's Elekid lost to Magnemite signaling Aaron's first ever win.

But this metonymy of joy would soon diminish greatly…

The whole family decided to take an excursion to downtown. "I wonder if Metropolis Town will finish that Plaza Square thing yet…" Uncle Darrel, Aaron's dad's brother, wondered aloud. "It'll be done eventually." Aunt Catherine replied. "Mommy, I'm hungry." Chandra and Bruce whined simultaneously as their stomachs growled loudly. "We'll take them." Aunt Catherine and Uncle Darrel stated. "Come along, kids." Darrel commanded as they leaded the younger siblings along. "We have other things we need to do." Granddad Zachery announced. "Take care." Grandma Tiffany said as the oldest of the group departed.

So, that left Aaron, Magnemite, and his parents alone. "Come on, son." Aaron's mother commanded as they began to walk a different direction. The family took themselves to all different locations of Metropolis Town's strip mall and merchants. Although they didn't buy much, they enjoyed the usual scenery of a combination of urban and rural environments.

After approximately an hour of roaming, Aaron and his parents exited from the strip mall department of Metropolis Town. Aaron was busy communicating with Magnemite as they traversed. Aaron's father looked at Aaron's mother who nodded in response. Apparently they knew something. "Aaron?" The father called. "Yes, Dad?" Aaron responded. Aaron's father then reached into the bag he was carrying and pull out a hat case. Both Aaron and Magnemite looked at the case quizzically. After opening it, Aaron's father presented a grayish silver hat. "Here, son, a gift for you from your mom and dad." He said as he put the hat on Aaron's head. It was oversized slightly so it covered his eyes. Aaron chuckled cutely a he lifted it so he could recover his sight. "Thanks, Mom and Dad." He thanked. "You're welcome, son." Aaron's mother replied.

**-Even Later-**

Evening was around the corner. Aaron's family had final trips as they were getting ready to go back home to the rural part of Metropolis Town. The crowd for the night was entering as well. Cars and other vehicles began to clutter the roads slowly but surely. Everything was rather straightforward and calm….for now that is.

Aaron's parents and Aaron approached a crosswalk. They waited for the light to signal pedestrians were able to cross. After an approximate minute, the light signaled they were able to and they began to saunter across. In a situation like this, normally the cars are forced to stop progressing and let the pedestrians. But when you're drunk, you tend to disregard such. A drunk driver's car swerved around the curve recklessly. Amazingly, the drunk managed to evade all cars in the street (even IF he was driving at nearly 95 MPH).

Unfortunately the drunken driver did not regard the fact he was suppose to stop for the crosswalk and continued on. When the driver FINALLY got to his senses, he turned the steering wheel violently making the car turn sideways skidding. To make matters worse, it did not help stopping him, it only adding more coverage for any collisions. Aaron and his family looked in horror as they were like trapped almost. Aaron's father acted quickly. He pushed his son out of the way and Aaron was out of the way safely (Magnemite followed just to let you know).

However, you could not say the same for his parents….

A loud, defending crash was sounded throughout the street. When Aaron looked, the car was flipped over and destroyed. He frantically checked for his parents hoping that they made it out safely. But before he could try, officers poured into the vicinity and one of them escorted Aaron and Magnemite away.

Because the rest of Aaron's family was not present, the officer had to watch him until they arrived. It would be soon because this accident was big. But what concerned Aaron was the whereabouts of his parents. "Sir?" Aaron asked, "Where are my Mom and Dad?" The officer looked at Aaron sympathetically. He was so young and innocent and the bad news would just tear him part, maybe even scar him for life. "I don't know yet." He responded. This was only 50% true. Though, they did not FULLY deduce a fatality, a crash like that surely causes one. Aaron looked at the scene worriedly but he could not make out anything because police cars, ambulances, and flashing lights blocked everything.

"Aaron!" Aaron's grandfather called out as the family approached them. "Oh thank God, you're safe." Darrel said out of relief. Tiffany looked around, "Where are your Mom and Dad?" She asked. "The police officer they don't know." Aaron innocently replied. Chandra and Bruce did not comprehend either because they were young, but the older ones could tell. However, they denied the belief that the parents would be dead. All they could do is wait and pray for the best.

**-LATER-**

And praying for the best did not work. Aaron's parents, probably the most famous duo in Orre, were pronounced dead the moment they were placed in the ambulance.

The whole family, especially Chandra, Bruce, and Aaron (Aaron more than the other two), were wallowing in grief and sorrow. This event actually Orre-wide news and the funeral actually went on live at Mt. Battle. This was truly a sad day indeed. Darrel and Zachery took custody of Aaron's dad's Pokemon while Catherine and Tiffany took custody of the mother's pokemon.

After the memorable yet depressing event, the family went home. However, home would never be the same. Aaron went to his room and continually stared out the window. The only other thing he would gawk at was his hat, the last bestowal of his parents.

"Magne?" Magnemite chimed in worry. It nudged Aaron trying to see if he was fine. Though, it was pretty obvious he wasn't. However, Aaron turned his head to face his first-ever pokemon and gave a weak, reassuring smile. Magnemite's worry slackened somewhat. Aaron faced his hat once again, deep in thought, and then to the window again. The child placed the hat on his again. _"In memory of Mom and Dad, I won't ever take this off…Never."_ He vowed mentally. _"And I will become the great trainer just like you two."_ He added. The basis of Aaron's career had just been made.

**-2 Years Later-**

A 10-year-old Aaron adjusted his hat (it was now able to fit near-perfectly) and clipped his knapsack to his belt. His appearance had changed in two years. He got taller (He was in fact the tallest of the siblings), he wore a silver/grey button-up shirt that was left unbutton to reveal an ivory undershirt and silver/grey pants with matching-colored shoes. He hung his bag over his shoulder and walked outside with Magnemite following.

The whole gathered out front. This was an important event; Aaron's departure for his journey. "Well, it's time I suppose." Darrel said. Aaron nodded. "Heh, your mother and father would be very proud." Tiffany said. "I know they would be." Aaron replied matter-of-factly. 9-year-old Chandra and 8-year-old Bruce walked up to their older brother. "Bye, Aaron." Chandra said. "We'll miss you." Bruce added. "Don't worry, I'll drop a line from time-to-time." Aaron stated. The siblings then shared a group hug.

Aaron broke away from the group and began to walk away with Magnemite. "Bye!" He said waving at the family. "Bye, Aaron!" "Make us proud!" "Be the best you can be!" They all gave parting words as Aaron began to disappear in the distance.

Aaron looked at the vast sky reminiscing his deceased parents, _"I promise, I will be as great as you two were…maybe even better."_ He thought. His journey had begun.


	11. Extra Chapter 3: Piece De Résistance

**Beginning Author Notes  
**

Now, the spotlights goes off Aaron for the moment in order for some of his friends from the past to appear. They will reveal bits and pieces of Aaron's past journeys. They themselves will become supporting characters/rivals in PS2 in the future.

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are Zesa, Inferia, and Lavas.

**Extra Chapter 3: ****Piece De Résistance**  


A Snover was mercilessly flung across a battlefield, suited to favor mostly Grass-type Pokemon, by a flaming sphere. The Ice/Grass-type was instantly scorched, being quadruply weak to Fire, by the fiery Weather Ball as swirls replaced its normal green and white eyes. Its conqueror, a Roserade, landed elegantly back on the ground after finishing its fallen Frost Tree opponent.

"Surprisingly lethal," A calm, masculine voice commented as he recalled his fallen Snover, "Although, I in all probability should have anticipated such from the Eterna City Gym Leader."

Gardenia, the owner of the victorious Roserade, smiled on her side of the field as she replied, "I try my hardest to make Grass-types famous and feared, Zesa."

The challenger, Zesa (Zay-suh) of Celadon City, was an interesting and slightly foppish person. On top of his head was a pine green hat. The hat was flat- but wide-brimmed with a round crown; the crown of his hat had a black band around it with two white roses pinned on the front left side of it. His hair was short and colored steel-brown, but sported long, layered, messy bangs that covered the right side of his face and approximately reached his sternum. He had introspective and welcoming olive green eyes (but only the left one could seen due his bangs covering right one).

Zesa was wearing a verdant, long-sleeved, V-neck suit with all of the buttons fastened up. A frilled white undershirt could be seen via the V-neck cut. The collar of his suit was upturned to reveal the underside to be black. He wore verdant pants, black gloves, and black shoes.

"And with impeccable progress!" Zesa responded admiringly as he took out his final Pokeball, "But I hope you've surmised that my long-term objective is analogous, seeing as my Pokemon share the same typing as yours."

Gardenia smirked before saying competitively, "Enough small talk. Please bring out your last Pokemon!"  
Zesa nodded contently as he closed his visible eye, "Now what sort of person would I be to deny such a request?" With a flick of his wrist, the red and white device was thrown out of his grasp. It opened up and released a Shiftry.

"Begin!"

"Roserade, Weather Ball!"

"Shiftry, Icy Wind."

* * *

Gardenia and Zesa, after their battle had reached its end, stood outside the entrance to the Eterna City Gym. "Wow, you're probably the most lethal Grass-type trainer I've seen, Zesa," Gardenia commented with an impressed tone, "And yet you seem so collected that people would never expect it!" The Celadon City resident bowed humbly as he responded thankfully, "Your words are kind and endearing, Gardenia. I am rendered modest at the comments a person of your stature has just bestowed upon me."

The orange and black-haired female giggled before handing over the Forest Badge to the steel brown-haired male, "You most certainly have deserved this, Zesa; the Forest Badge." Zesa clutched the coveted item in his hands and put it away in his pocket, "A thousands thanks, Gardenia," He then lifted up Gardenia's hand so that he could gentlemanly kiss it, causing her to blush fervently.

"LOOK OUT!"

Suddenly, the two Grass-type enthusiasts were alerted to two rushing figures. A loud "BANG" echoed across of the vicinity as a hard-sounding impact was made. However, Zesa was able to move himself and Gardenia out of the way. They were able to see two females temporarily stuck against the wall of the gym near the entrance.

Peeling themselves off, the two females groggily shook their heads to alleviate the weird feelings inside their heads. They were strikingly similar to each other, in both attire and body appearance (although one was shorter and the other was taller, even then their heights were only separated by 1 or 2 inches); in fact, they were twins. They both possessed the same shade of scarlet hair (however, the shorter girl had it tied in a low ponytail while the taller other had it in a high ponytail), the same orange eye color, and the same Caucasian skin tone.

Their apparel was similar, as said before, but possessed some notable differences. Their tops were both colored carmine and amber. The taller twin's top was a short-sleeved carmine jacket with an amber belly shirt. The shorter twin's top was a sleeveless vest, and it possessed the design of two overlapping rhombuses (one being colored carmine while the other colored amber). Their bottoms were scarlet, just like their hair; the taller one had a scarlet skirt while the short one had scarlet shorts.

"Um, are you two OK?" Gardenia asked cautiously, moreover surprised at the abruptness of the situation. "Oh, we're just fine!" The fiery twins replied simultaneously, creeping Gardenia out even more. Zesa nodded before asking, "May I inquire as why you two were scampering so, lack of a better word, recklessly?"

"Oh, that?" the female twins continued to speak in unison, "Well, we wanted to hurry over to this as soon as possible, but we didn't take into account that anyone would be stationed like you two were!"

"Your enthusiasm in understandable," Zesa responded with another nod, "My name is Zesa. I'm from Celadon City. And what are your names?"

The shorter girl introduced herself with a passionate smile, "My name is Inferia (In-fair-ee-uh-)!" The taller girl also introduced herself, equally ardent as her twin, "And I'm Lavas (La-vahs)!"

The Eterna City Gym Leader took note that that was so far the only time the girls spoke separately. She quickly realized that introductions were still going on and proudly announced, "And I'm Gardenia! I happen to be the Gym Leader you seek!"

"Perfect!" Inferia and Lavas went back to speaking unitedly, "Because we, the Burning Twins straight Kanto's Cinnabar Island, challenge you to a battle for your Gym Badge!"

In all honesty, Gardenia was unsure of how to respond solely because of the fact that she felt uneasy as Inferia and Lavas continued to talk concurrently, "Uhhh…" Zesa took the initiative to speak for his fellow Grass-type lover, "I'm afraid she just completed a challenge issued by me."

The Burning Twins whined pathetically as they slumped to the ground in an anime style. Zesa and Gardenia found themselves chuckling sheepishly as an anime sweatdrop graced the back of their heads. The scarlet-haired females instantly sprung back with their vigor returning as they asked, "Soooo when can we?"

Now feeling more comfortable, the Master of Vivid Plant Pokmon answered with a smile, "Tomorrow. First thing in the morning. How's that sound?"

"Perfect!" Inferia and Lavas beamed in satisfaction. Then, they competitively grinned as they said, "But be ready. We specialize in Fire-types, so don't be surprised when we 3-0 for victory!" Gardenia and Zesa arched bows as they stared at the Burning Twins for obvious underestimation of Grass-types. Catching this, the fiery twins blinked as they asked, "What? We got something on our faces?"

Zesa chuckled while shaking his head, "Nothing. Gardenia and I are just perplexed that you two believe that using Fire-types against Grass-types is automatically a triumph on your part." Inferia and Lavas continued to blink innocently as they responded, "But it is."

"Well, I won't deny Grass-types have a lot of weaknesses," The Eterna City Gym Leader spoke while placing her hands on her hips, "But come tomorrow I'll show you that isn't the factor in determining the winner."

"As a matter of fact," Zesa proposed with a smirk, "Both Gardenia and I will demonstrate the strength of nature-loving Pokemon. Since you two are obviously a team, I propose that tomorrow's Gym Battle should be a Double Battle; me being Gardenia's cohort."

"Sounds good to me!" Gardenia, Inferia, and Lavas responded eagerly. The Celadon City resident nodded before shifting the subject, "But our priority at the moment is getting to the Pokemon Center. Gardenia and I's Pokemon need to be rejuvenated after our bout today."

"Especially mine," Gardenia added awkwardly while messing with some strands of her orange and black hair. "We'll see how good you are tomorrow." Inferia and Lavas said still talking together. "Indeed you shall." Zesa responded.

**-Eterna City Pokemon Center-**

As Gardenia was situating her battle-worn Pokemon with Nurse Joy, Zesa, Inferia, and Lavas were seated at the couches in the lobby conversing casually.

"I'm really curious," Zesa said, "What do you two hope to accomplish in the near future?"

Smiling proudly, Inferia and Lavas answered elaborately, "As fraternal twins born in Cinnabar Island, we practically think alike and share the same interests. As such, we are currently striving for the same goal. Blain, Cinnbar Island's Gym Leader, has inspired us both to become Fire-type users. By winning Pokemon Leagues and other miscellaneous competition, we hope to one day become the greatest Fire-type Master Team the world has ever known!"

"Ah, I see." The male Grass-type enthusiast responded interestedly.

"And we already know we're inching even closer to achieving that goal!" The Burning Twins enthusiastically added, "Because we have taught other people about Fire-types when they chances came up!"

"What a small world," Zesa stated genteelly, "I happen to have educated a fair share of trainers about Grass-types; you two are on the verge of becoming addendums to that tomorrow."

Waving off the final words of Zesa's statement, the Fire-type duet stated, "But there is this one guy in particular who's probably one of the most famous trainers that we have taught when he came to Cinnabar Island!"

"Oh?" Zesa responded curiously.

"Yeah! His name's Aaron Shadow!" Inferia and Lavas answered with widened smiles. "….A small world indeed." Zesa said slightly surprised, "Aaron Shadow is one of the trainers I educated before his brawl with Celadon City Gym Leader, Erika. I would recognize him and his companions instantaneously, mentioned or sighted."

"Jacob and Ian, right?" the females asked.

"Correct," Zesa sighed nostalgically as he reminisced the good times with them, "I'm glad all three of them have grown since we met back in Kanto, but I wonder how they REALLY are…"

"You and us all…" Inferia and Lavas remarked pensively.

Suddenly, an idea popped into the head of the steel brown-haired Grass-type trainer, "Say…here's another proposition; I heard of Aaron's victory in the Sinnoh Pokemon League and Grand Festival and another region named Tenla…A logical supposition would be that Aaron, Ian, and Jacob are traversing there. Perhaps we can go there together?"

"Hell yeah!" Inferia and Lavas screamed happily causing some of the people inside the Pokemon Center to look at them weirdly, "That's an idea we CANNOT deny!"

Zesa smiled warmly, "Then it's settled."

"What's settled?" Gardenia's soft female voice questioned as she sat herself beside Zesa. "After our Double Battle tomorrow, Gardenia," The Celadon City resident answered as he turned to face Gardenia, "Inferia, Lavas, and I will be heading to the Tenla Region to catch up with an old friend."

"Sounds awesome." Gardenia said with a smile. "It is!" The Burning Twins said concurringly.

Zesa turned his head to look out the large windows inside the lobby of the Pokemon Center to examine the condition of the sky outside, "Well, the twilight has virtually reached its end, and dusk is rounding the corner."

Gardenia stood up after hearing that whilst saying, "I recommend we get some sleep," She then let a grin plaster her face, "Because we have a big day tomorrow, with Grass-type proving to be superior against Fire-types."

"Whatever!" Inferia and Lavas objected as they shot out of their seats, "Don't be disappointed when all your Pokemon are burned up!"

Zesa simply shook his head while chuckling heartily, looking forward to an interesting Pokemon Battle tomorrow morning.

**-The Next Morning-**

"This official Double Gym Battle with the leader, Gardenia, and her partner, Zesa of Celadon, against the challengers, Inferia and Lavas of Cinnabar Island, is now underway! Each trainer will only use one Pokemon, and the battle will end when both Pokemon on either team is rendered unable to continue battling!"

All four combatants shared agog smiles and grins to varying degrees; they were most certainly ready for this battle to start.

"Now bring out your Pokemon!"

"Infernape, come on out!" Inferia shouted as she tossed out her Pokeball; the crimson and ivory mechanism released the fully evolved form of Sinnoh's Fire starter. "Blaziken, you too!" Lavas also threw out her own Pokeball; the fully evolved form of Hoenn's Fire starter was released onto the field beside Infernape.

"Roserade, let's go." Gardenia lithely tossed out her own Pokeball and released the Bouquet Pokemon, her blue rose hiding her mouth while the red one stayed by her side. "I shall release my own Roserade. Go." Zesa lazily flicked his wrist and sent out his Pokeball, releasing his own Grass/Poison-type. However, unlike Gardenia's Roserade, Zesa's Roserade had an olive green complexion, its right rose was colored violet, and the left one was colored grey.

"Ooooh~" Gardenia fawned clapping her hands together, "I LOVE your Roserade." She squealed, refraining from unleashing her inner femininity and glomping Zesa's Shiny Roserade out of sheer adoration. "Looks like our guards should be up throughout this whole match." Inferia and Lavas mumbled contemplatively.

"Begin! The challengers have the first move!"

"Infernape," Inferia shouted in command, "Uses Heat Wave!" Infernape opened its mouth and created a ball of orange fire in its mouth. It then released a zephyr of flames at both Gardenia's and Zesa's Roserade.

Gardenia smiled before commanding her Roserade, "Rain Dance." The eyes of Gardenia's Roserade gained an aqua blue hue as rain clouds were summoned. The cloud then created rain that instantly extinguished Infernape's Heat Wave into oblivion. Blaziken and Infernape shielded themselves from the sudden tantalizing downpour.

"Now Weather Ball." Gardenia added, continuing her aquatic assault. Gardenia's Roserade held her arms up, created a blue energy ball with water streams around it in-between the two roses, and hurled it at the suffering Fire/Fighting-types.

"Time to rid us of this blasted rain," Lavas said, "Blaziken, Sunny Day!" The Blaze Pokemon's eyes suddenly illuminated an orange color and the rain clouds instantly disappeared for the blazing sun rays to be intensified on the battlefield. As a result of the shift from Rain Dance to Sunny Day, the Weather Ball turned into an orange sphere with fire streams around it.

"Knock it back with Double Kick!" Lavas commanded; Blaziken obliged by thrusting its right leg into the Fire-type Weather Ball and sending it back toward the duo of Roserades. "You got this, Zesa?" Gardenia asked looking at then steel brown-haired trainer.

"Indeed." Zesa responded before enjoining his Shiny Bouquet Pokemon, "Roserade, Pin Missile." Zesa's Roserade pointed its violet rose and released glowing white pins from the three holes in it. The Pin Missile right away shredded the redirected Fire-type Weather Ball into orange sparks.

Lavas growled slightly before giving out another command, "Solarbeam, Blaziken!"

"Blaziiii…." Blaziken opened its mouth and collected solar energy into its mouth, but because of Sunny Dance, it literally took only three seconds for the charging process to finish, "KEN!" A large white beam was fired, mostly aimed toward Gardenia's Roserade.

"Flash!" Gardenia ordered. Her Roserade's body suddenly shined brightly, giving off a bright light to easily dissuade Blaziken's Solarbeam. "ACK!" Lavas exclaimed as she and her Blaziken covered her eyes.

"Infernape, Shadow Claw!" Inferia commanded her primate Fire/Fighting-type Pokemon. Infernape extended out its arms as they became surrounded by a black aura with a purple outline. The aura then took the form of a huge claw. "Infernape! (Here I come!)" It shouted gutturally as it charged at Zesa's Roserade.

"Extrasensory." Zesa commanded calmly. The Shiny Roserade's eyes glowed pale yellow and released a multicolored sonar wave, with gold being the most prominent color, toward the charging Infernape. Before Inferia or Infernape could react appropriately, the Extrasensory struck the Flame Pokemon and sent it flying back.

"Infernape, PLEASE get up and try Focus Punch!" Inferia commanded pleadingly. Infernape jumped back its feet, but could not performed its order as supernatural force prevented it from attacking. "What the?" the shorter Fire-type specialist exclaimed. "It appears Extrasensory has made your Infernape flinch," Zesa commented tactically, "How fortunate for me. Roserade, advance for Poison Jab!"

"My Roseade, follow suit!" Gardenia commanded. Both Roserades rushed for the motionless Infernape, Zesa's Roserade had both of its roses glowing purple. "Blaziken, protect Infernape with Fire Blast!" The taller twin ordered hurriedly.

Blaziken slid in front of the motionless Flame Pokemon. It opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of fire at its Grass/Poison-type opponents that was 大-shaped; the Fire Blast was further supplemented in power because of the still-present Sunny Day.

Alerted, the orange and black-haired Gym Leader exclaimed, "Get out of the way, Roserade!" The steel brown-haired trainer, on the other hand, commanded the exact opposite, "Purge through, my Roserade. Use your Poison Jab to improvise." Gardenia shot Zesa an "are you crazy" sort of look to which he replied with a calm gesture of his head.

As Gardenia's Roserade jumped out of the way to warily watched Zesa's Roserade, the latter hopped headfirst into the Fire Blast while gracefully twirling its body. The poisonous enzymes coated its still-glowing roses spread out in the form of purple streaks. Eventually, the Shiny Bouquet Pokemon's whole body was enveloped by purple streaks which were enveloped by the Fire Blast. Then, Zesa's Roserade threw out these protective streaks, causing the Fire Blast to disappear into red-orange flares as the Poison Jab freed itself and its user.

"Oh my God…" Gardenia commented breathlessly; her Roserade was equally baffled. "Now how he do that?" Inferia and Lavas questioned disbelievingly as they cocked their heads to the side.

"There is still a battle going on," Zesa informed politely before commanding his Pokemon, "Roserade, continue your previous mission of attempting to hit Infernape with Poison Jab please." Zesa's Roserade's violet and grey roses illuminated purple as poisonous enzymes covered them. Then, the Grass/Poison-type charged for Inferia's Infernape, who was still motionless from the Flinch and being guarded by Lavas's Blaziken.

"Go forth and bat it away with Double Kick, Blaziken!" Lavas commended as the Blaze Pokemon kicked off its feet and dashed at the charging Shiny Pokemon. Snapping out of her stupor of admiration, Gardenia commanded, "Grass Knot." As Gardenia's Roserade's eyes glowed green, two blades of grass near Blaziken also glowed green and tied themselves into a knot, making the Blaze Pokemon trip over it before it could unleash its barrage of Double Kick.

"Many thanks, Gardenia," Zesa acknowledged with a handsome smile. Gardenia flushed slightly before smiling herself, "You're quite welcome, Zesa." As the Grass-type trainers exchanged their thanks, Zesa's Roserade knocked a Poison Jab into the tripping Blaziken, moving it out of the way as it lunged for Infernape.

"Protect." Inferia ordered. Now with the effects of Flinch gone, Infernape summoned a green dome to effortlessly block the Protect. Stunned, Zesa's Roserade was unable to react for the next course of action. "Heat Wave, Infernape!" The Flame Pokemon smirked before unleashing Heat Wave, capturing the Shiny Pokemon in the fiery zephyr.

"Roserade!" Zesa exclaimed in concern. "My Roserade, hurry and use Rain Dance to extinguish the flames!" Gardenia quickly commanded. "No you don't!" Lavas objected with a smirk, "Solarbeam!"  
Lifting it head up, Blaziken discharged Solarbeam straight toward Gardenia's Roserade scoring a perfect hit. "Ah!" Gardenia gasped in shock.

Meanwhile, Zesa's Roserade was reduced to one knee as it kept its arm crossed in front of its face as a means to protect itself against the blazing wind, but too not much avail. Infernape was, noticing its positive progress, continued to maintain Heat Wave's activity.

"Roserade," Zesa spoke again, his voice as calm and cool as a well-kept forest, "Please use GrassWhistle." Closing its eyes, the Shiny Roserade rubbed its arms, which were still guarding against the Hat Wave, together as a soothing melody was produced. The intersection at which Zesa's Roserade was rubbing its arms glowed spring green as spring green musical notes were spontaneously created.

As GrassWhistle entered its ears and slowly begin lulling it to sleep, Infernape was gradually being forced to cease as its eyelids became heavier and heavier. "Infernape, no!" Inferia exclaimed in surprise. "Blaziken, Solarbeam on Zesa's Roserade!" Lavas quickly ordered. As cruel fate was, the second after Blaziken began charging Solarbeam, Sunny Day deactivated. This caused the charging procedure to slow down and consume more precious seconds. "Aw come on!" Lavas groused in a whiny tone.

Inferia's Infernape eventually stopped Heat Wave and collapsed into slumber. Zesa's Roserade dropped its arm, stopping its successful GrassWhistle, and panted heavily having taken massive damage from the super-effective Heat Wave. "Excellent, Roserade," Zesa remarked positively, "Finish it off with Poison Jab."

Raising its grey left rose, Zesa's Roserade activated Poison Jab once more and quickly slashed the back of Infernape's neck. The single strike was enough to KO the Fire/Fighting primate and replace its eyes with black swirls of defeat. "Infernape is unable to battle!" Inferia collapsed to the ground in a comical manner upon hearing the defeat of her Pokemon.

"OK, now it's our turn," Gardenia announced and then enjoined, "Roserade, Rain Dance." Gardenia's Roserade used Rain Dance and summoned more rainfall. Lavas's Blaziken, who was just about done charging up Solarbeam, was forced to intake even less solar energy now that the sun was blotched out by rain clouds. "Oh crap…" Lavas muttered forebodingly knowing she and her Blaziken were stuck and completely helpless.

Gardenia smiled victoriously as she gave out the final command of the battle, "Weather Ball." And Blaziken soon joined the lying Infernape as it suffered a soaking defeat at the hands of a Water-type Weather Ball. "Blaziken is unable to battle! Roserade and Roserade are the winners, and the victory goes to Gardenia and Zesa!"

Lavas also collapsed to the ground in a comical manner, adding her shame with her twin sister. Gardenia turned to Zesa and said, "My, you really are something else." Zesa smiled as he turned to Gardenia, "The awe is mutual, Gardenia."

"But you did most of the work!" Gardenia objected as the duo of Roserades walked over. Noticing this, she kneeled and rubbed the Shiny Roserade's head admiringly, "Especially with the ability your Roserade possesses."

"Oh please, stop flattering me and Roserade, Gardenia." Zesa requested in embarrassment; Zesa's Roserade rubbed the back of its head in discomfiture. Gardenia stood back up and said, "But I mean it, Zesa."

"And I wholeheartedly appreciate it," Zesa responded genteelly as he warmly embraced the orange and black-haired girl. Although initially surprised, Gardenia gratefully returned the hug; both Roserades smiled cheerfully.

"Um, if you two lovebirds are done flirting with each other…"

The united female voices of the Burning Twins caused Gardenia and Zesa to separate immediately and face them. The scarlet-haired twins are rubbing her arms nervously, feeling mortified at how their Fire-types were so fluently beaten by Grass-types.

"We would like to publicly admit our loss," They said apologetically, "And we learned from this battle just how lethal Grass-types can be, regardless of the situation." Gardenia smiled elatedly, "And for realizing that, you two deserve Forests Badges!" She then handed the Cinnabar Island residents each a Forest Badge, perplexing the other people and Pokemon immensely.

"Wait, what?" Inferia exclaimed in a flabbergasted tone. "B-B-But we lost!" Lavas sputtered in disbelief. Zesa too was utterly left confused at Gardenia's action, but decided to let her explain and not comment whatsoever. Gardenia giggled, at the sisters' disbelieving expressions and the fact she managed to make them speak at different times, before explaining, "The purpose of this Double Gym Battle was to make you two understand. Now that you've admitted your defeat and realized your mistake, there was no reason for me NOT to award you two your Gym Badge."

"Uhh…." Zesa droned mindlessly being unable to contain his dumbfound condition. "Well if that's the case…" Inferia mumbled while putting away her Forest Badge. "Then I guess we have no right to complain!" Lavas finished her sister's statement in a peppy tone.

"Well, now that this battle is over, I suppose you guys will be heading off to Tenla, right?" Gardenia asked as she and Zesa recalled their respective Roserade.

"Well…" Inferia and Lavas said sounding like they were having second thoughts. Gardenia and Zesa blinked in confusion but let them go on. Suddenly, the twins smirked teasingly as they said, "We can always wait until after you and Zesa go on a date."

Gardenia flushed a highly visible beat red as Zesa cleared his throat to maintain his professionalism, "Gardenia and I have no intention of engaging in such," The Master of Vivid Plant Pokemon nodded in agreement hoping her blush had faded away, "R-Right. What he said!"

"We're only teasing you two!" Inferia and Lavas said as they cutely poked their tongues out. _"WHY am I unconvinced?"_The Grass-type man and woman thought collectively.

* * *

"Farewell, Gardenia!"

"We'll check you later!"

Zesa, Inferia, and Lavas, all of whom were departing, waved their hands as they walked off into the distance.

"Goodbye! Have fun in Tenla, you three!" Gardenia said as she waved the trio goodbye as well. "We'll make sure Zesa gives you a call when we get there!" the Fire-type sisters shouted good-humoredly. Gardenia, as she flushed again, could have sworn she heard Zesa's exasperate grumble even in the distance.

Shaking her head in pity, Gardenia entered her Pokemon Gym again, thinking about how grateful she was not to have a Fire-type Gym Leader companion in Sinnoh. But she also felt disappointed because the 'piece de résistance' of the whole thing was that she couldn't rub her and Zesa's victory in the face of the nonexistent Fire-type Sinnoh Gym Leader. Maybe even Flint if he was around.

**Ending ****Author** **Notes**

No, I'm not trying to pair up Zesa with Gardenia. I'm actually a mild GrassShipper (James/Gardenia). He is that way with anyone who shares similar ideals with him. He's that much of a nice (and that's how the Burning Twins love to tease people). Besides, I have someone else in mind for him.

Zesa is a Grass-type specialists from Celadon City who prepared Aaron for his battle against Erika in Kanto. He seems to be an experienced Grass-type trainer. He speaks in a professional way, using more educated words to replace the usual norm for most people. He is calm, reserved, and a cordial gentlemen.

Inferia and Lavas are fraternal sisters who specialize Fire-types and hail from Cinnabar Island. They helped Aaron prepare for his battle against Blain in Kanto. 99.9% of the time they speak at the same time (which many find creepy, eerie, uneasy, or all of the above); the 00.1% they DON'T speak at the same time is during battles, when either or's emotions get in the way (such as depression or surprise), or when physically separated.

Now onto the next!


	12. Extra Chapter 4: Onward

**Beginning Author Notes  
**

Not much to say here except that two down for a few more to go.

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are Caecus and Isabella.

**Extra Chapter 4: Onward**

"They sure weren't kidding when they said the Ice Cave was the coldest location In Johto, Plusle and Minun…"

Within the treacherous and infamous depths of the Johto Region's Ice Cave was a teenage boy carefully traversing the slippery icy floors with a Plusle and Minun on either side of his shoulders. He wore an isabelline-colored, long-sleeved hoodie in which the hood was over his head. Despite wearing the hood, you could still see his light blizzard blue hair and his blind eyes were of the palest shade of lavender. He also wore cinnamon-colored cargo pants and white and black Adidas tennis shoes.

His Plusle, who sad on his left shoulder, said in reply, "(Kinda weird considering the city beyond here has a Gym Leader who specializes in Dragon-types.)" Minun, sitting on his right shoulder, added in, "(Then again, the town we just passed on an Ice-type Gym Leader so I THOUGHT we should've expected this.)"

"Regardless," The hooded man's soft, tender voice spoke again, "We still need to get through…If Pryce was that hard of a Gym Leader, I dread Clair."

Plusle looked up at the icy roof of the cave in contemplation, "(Hmm…)" Then, an idea suddenly sprouted inside the tiny Cheering Pokemon, "(Oh! Hey, how about catching one of the Ice-type natives here, Caecus!)"

Minun caught the notion offered by its counterpart and eagerly agreed, "(Yeah! That way we can handle Clair and her Dragon-types easy!)" The teen, now identified as Caecus, stopped to let the idea recently given to sink into his mind, "Well…Clair probably knows how to handle Ice-types, seeing the predictability within the idea."

Plusle and Minun frowned at the same time and their eyes started to shine in an adorable way; however, this is signaling they were getting ready to cry. Caecus caught there expressions and couldn't help but feel submissive to how cute his Electric-type duo seemed. "Fine…Doesn't hurt to have an advantage." Caecus said in defeated; Pluse and Minun went back to their regular expression, thankful they were equipped with a deadly tool like Fake Tears.

"But so far," Caecus articulated as he gazed at his cold, empty surroundings, "Everything seems so far calm and lifeless. How can we find Ice-types in this situation?" For a second, Plusle and Minun realized he was right, there WERE no Ice-types around.

For. A. Second.

Suddenly, many blurs of brown and mahogany surrounded Plusle, Minun, and Caecus. "(Whoa!)" Plusle exclaimed while jumping Caecus's left shoulder and onto the ice floor. "(Plusle, Caecus, did you two see that?)" Minun surveyed as it mimicked its counterpart's action. "Minun, I'm blind," Caecus stated blankly, "I can't SEE anything…but I definitely sense the Aura of our little visitors."

Encircling the trio were hoards of Swinub and Piloswine, obviously angered at the fact they have intrudes in their midst. The leader of the pack, a Mamoswine, glared dangerously at them. "Mamo. (Lookie what we have here.)" The Twin Tusk Pokemon growled as white smoke was exhaled from its nostrils.

"Schools of Swinub and Piloswine," Caecus stated making observative remarks, "And their leader is a Mamoswine." His pale lavender eyes brimmed with visible Aura; he was using the mystical technique to "see" his opposition and surroundings since his natural visual method was handicapped. "Plusle, Minun, stand back. I'll be using two others for this task." Taking out two Pokeballs and enlarging them, Caecus threw them into the air, and they popped open to unleash white lights. These lights molded into two different figures and disappeared to reveal the creatures inside.

"Meta!"

"Zong!"

A Metagross and Bronzong levitated above the scene and leered threateningly at the schools of Ice/Ground-types enclosing their master and partners. Caecus closed his eyes, "Let's take out the Swinub and Piloswine first."

Unexpectedly, Metagross and Bronzong unleashed lustrous beams of silver and white. The Flash Cannons struck the group of Piloswine and Swinub, instantly sending some of them away and KO-ing them. The remaining ones were heavily alarmed proceeded to fire Ice Shards at the two Steel/Psychic Pokemon.

Bronzong and Metagross received a wordless command from Caecus via his Aura-related communication prowess. The Iron Leg Pokemon nodded and stationed itself behind the Bronze Bell Pokemon. The latter's red eyes gained an azure hue as the Ice Shards were telekinetically stopped. Then, Bronzong proceeded to use Psychic to harshly throw the Ice-type attack back at each and every one of its original users. Predictably, the redirected Ice Shards hit their marks and caused the recipients to faint instantly.

Then, Metagross's eyes gained a sandy brown hue as falling boulders were suddenly summoned above them. Bronzong used Psychic once again, this time to deliberately stop the Rock Slide from plummeting. "Do it." Caecus commanded with his eyes still closed calmly. Bronzong suddenly sent a group of the falling rocks into a section of the remaining Piloswine and Swinub. Every time after a 5-second interval, another group of the separated Rock Slide would be swiftly sent down to the enemies via Bronzong's Psychic.

Eventually, all of the Swinub and Piloswine were knocked out (and the remaining ones decided to run away cowardly). Caecus reopened his eyes, with the Aura brimming inside them disappearing, and he looked up and smiled at his descending Bronzong and Metagross, "Good job, you two. Now for Mamoswine-"

Caecus suddenly screamed in pain as an Ice Beam struck his lower body and froze him in place. Pluse, Minun, Bronzong, and Metagross were rendered wide-eyed as their master start hyperventilating out of pain.

"Mamo! (Unforgivable!)" The Mamoswine hollered outrageously, "Mamo mamo! (Completely unforgivable!) Mamo! (I'll make you PAY for messing with my comrades!)" All four of Caecus's Pokemon glared at the Twin Tusk Pokemon heatedly. "Meta? (You call what we did unforgivable?)" The Iron Leg Pokemon hissed venomously. "Zong! (What you just did to our handicapped trainer was unforgivable!)"

"(Now we're gonna make YOU pay!)" Pluse and Minun growled as electricity surged through their tiny bodies. Minun and Metagross were the first to start off their assault; the blue Cheering Pokemon rushed with its minus-shaped tail covered in glowing metallic material, and the Iron Leg Pokemon levitated over with its front two legs glowing white.

Mamoswine's eyes flickered blue before a thin glass wall was summoned to block Minun's Iron Tail and Metagross's Hammer Arm. Their physical attacks were immediately repelled by Mamoswine's Reflect. Before Minun and/or Metagross could react, Mamoswine's whole body was suddenly covered in a static-like silver aura and then rammed its whole body into Minun and Metagross.

The two Pokemon were instantly KO-ed by Mamoswine's Iron Head. "M-Minun! M-Meta…gross!" Caecus managed to scream out through the chilling and painful cold affecting his lower body. "(OK, you need to chill out seriously.)" Plusle sneeringly suggested as it fired a rainbow-colored beam (Signal Beam). "Bron. (What Plusle said.)" Bronzong added as it fired a white photosynthetic beam (Solarbeam) from its underside at Mamoswine.

The Twin Tusk Pokemon's eyes now flickered a light pink as a golden box surrounded all of its bulk and girth. The Signal Beam and Solarbeam were instantly blocked by the Light Screen. Then, the large Ice/Ground-type discharged another Ice Beam for Plusle and Bronzong, causing them to freeze in a block of ice.

"Well isn't this peachy…" Caecus grumbled collectively while refraining to make his teeth chatter from the vexing cold. Even in the face of an icy demise, Caecus refused to let his emotion go out of control.

Especially, when help was RIGHT around the corner.

"Time to turn this winter wonderland into a hot mess!" A female with a southern accent suddenly shouted, "Flygon, Seviper, both of you turn up the heat with Flamethrower!" Out of nowhere, a Flygon and Seviper entered the frozen arena and unleashed hot streams of red-orange fire out of their mouths. Flygon's Flamethrower nailed Mamoswine's body for super-effective while Seviper's Flamethrower melted the icy prisons affecting Plusle, Bronzong, and Caecus.

Caecus exhaled in relief as he regained his ability to move around. The Flamethrower also managed to alleviate him of the icy pain irritating his lower body. Before he could investigate the commissioner of his rescue, he took out four Pokeballs and recalled Plusle, Minun, Metagross, and Bronzong into them.

At this time, the Mamoswine fell over on its side with swirls in its eyes. "Alright, come out so I personally thank you," Caecus requested, his soft voice high enough to echo throughout the portion of the Ice Cave. An Altaria suddenly descended down beside the blizzard blue-haired trainer, who was pulling off his hood to reveal his whole head and face.

Jumping off her Altaria's back was the aforesaid female, at least two years older than him. She possessed a dark tan bandana wrapped around her head; she had sea green hair that was wrapped in a low, hip-length ponytail with two small bangs framing her face. Her Duke blue eyes beamed at Caecus. She wore an onyx vest with a pale aqua cape, an onyx skirt with pale aqua shorts underneath it, and sea green travelling shoes.

"Howdy!" She greeted with her Southern accent still there, "Now where's my thanks?"

Caecus smiled warmly as he replied gratefully, "Thank you. Now may I have your name?" The sea green-haired female saluted him as she introduced herself with an indelible smile, "Isabella's the name, tutoring the newbies about Dragon-types is my game!"

Caecus nodded in acknowledge before he introduced himself, "My name is Caecus. I'm travelling through the Ice Cave to get to Blackthorn City to challenge Clair for her badge."

"Ah, well shoot," Isabella said as she recalled her Seviper, Flygon, and Altaria into their Pokeballs, "I'm guessing you need a little 411 with Dragon-types, huh?"

"Well," Caecus responded as he let his blind eyes drift toward the fainted Mamoswine, "I guess so."

"Well I'm your gal!" Isabella proudly announced while pointing a thumb to herself, "Plus, I won't be the first person to have done that. I've taught and tutored many other people about Dragon-types, just so they have an equal advantage against Clair, Lance, and future Dragon Tamers."

"Oh really?" Caecus inquired curiously as his blind pale lavender eyes looked back at Isabella. "No doubt!" Isabella shamelessly confirmed, "I even helped out his one trainer, who's now this world-renowned, kickass trainer!"

"OK, now you're just boasting." Caecus stated teasingly. "Does the name "Aaron Shadow" rings any bells, homeboy?" Isabellea asked with a toothy grin. Caecus's eyes widened in shock at the mention of the Orre Region resident; he asked Isabella anxiously, "Y-You taught Aaron about Dragon-types?"

"Shoot yeah!" Isabella brazenly confirmed but then noticed Caecus's expression was little extraordinary. She blinked before asking him, "Uh, you seem to know him a bit more personally. Do you?"

"Actually I do!" Caecus responded, "You see, he came to Saffron City, where I reside, to challenge Sabrina the Gym Leader there. Before he did, he ran into me. I helped him deal with trainers endowed with clairvoyance since I'm able to communicate using something called Aura."

"Well tan my hide," Isabella gaped in awe, "Did he have two other people named Jacob Forut and Ian Darusu?"

"He did in fact," Caecus answered with a smile, "They were the best to hang out with."

"For sure!" Isabella exclaimed happily, reminiscing the short time she had to spend with the trio (along with their other accompaniment). The Dragon-type specialist then decided to change the subject and asked Caecus, "OK, so about that Aura stuff…"

Already knowing where this was going, Caecus answered immediately, "It's a special skill some people are born with. I was lucky to have Aura because I was born blind. The Aura allows me to sense things clairvoyantly, allowing me to "see" figures and surroundings as if I had my actual eyes. Plus, it allows me to wordlessly communicate with my Pokemon and other people."

"Blind but seeing," Isabella remarked with an impressed tone, "That's pretty darn awesome."

"Thanks," Caecus responded and decided to change the subject himself, "Now Isabella…Mind giving me the same treatment as Aaron that allowed him to defeat Clair fluently?" Isabella smiled as she responded, "Tis be an honor, good sir."

"Oh, you went from Southerner to Medieval all of a sudden," Caecus pointed out humorously and chuckled at his own joke. Isabella giggled before she replied, "An-y-ways. Let's get of this frozen heap, we got some training to do!"

"Right, but first." Caecus said as he took an empty Pokeball and tossed it over to the Mamoswine that still had not recovered. The Pokeball opened as the Twin Tusk Pokemon was reduced into infrared material and sucked into the red and white machine. It landed on the ice softly and twitched three times before coming to a complete stop, signaling the capture of the Mamoswine.

Caecus walked over, picked up the Pokeball, and put it away as Isabella questioned while blinking, "Uh, you caught the same Mamoswine that tried to turn you into a human-sicle?"

"Well, I need a strong Ice-type to combat Clair's Dragon-types, don't I?" Caecus countered, "Besides, your training should make me aware of all of a Dragon Tamer's tricks."

"Heh. You got nothing to worry about that, partner," the sea green-haired Dragon Tamer stated with a cocky smirk, "Now let's get out of here." Caecus nodded as he let Isabella lead the way out of the Ice Cave, "Yes. Let's head onward."

Caecus and Isabella were now heading onward to training, victory at a gym, and a journey that would lead them back to old friends.

**Ending Author Notes**

Caecus is a blind trainer who uses Aura to "see" and wordlessly communicate with people when needed to. He helped Aaron prepare for his battle against Sabrina in Kanto's Saffron City.

Isabella is a Dragon Tamer, with a Southern accent heh heh (because she IS from the south), who usually teaches about Dragon-types to newcomer of Blackthorn City. She helped Aaron prepare for his battle against Clair.


	13. Extra Chapter 5: Gratitude

**Beginning Author Notes  
**

Here comes another two-shot; however, this bonus material is a bit different from the others. The main star is not a friend of Aaron's, but the brother of Ian Darusu, and he will nonetheless be featured in PS2 as well. It would also feel weird just to make this a standalone story in itself. Plus, at the time I wrote this, I decided to be nice to one of my "unknown" Pokemon FCs and put Irvin in a story of mine. So that is the result of my mind. |D Hope you guys like it.

You viewers may also assume I'm pairing up Irvin with Marley.

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are Irvin and the rest of the Darusu Family (except Fantina).

**Extra Chapter 5: Gratitude  
**

Sharp slashing sounded across the hollow and long final section of the Sinnoh Region's Victory Road, a normally quiet yet suspenseful location. The sound of rock being forcibly crushed then was heard as a Rhyperior crashed into the rocky wall of a tall rock platform. "My dear Rhyperior!" Veteran Terrell exclaimed in shock as the humungous Drill Pokemon painstakingly arose back to his feet. Its opponent was a Xatu, one that was calmly roosting on the ground with its white wings covering its front. "It seems the climax of this battle is approaching." A male teen, specifically the owner of the Xatu, muttered forebodingly. His attire consisted of a battleship grey, short-sleezed jacket with long coattails, a blood red sash, and a battleship grey hakama with blood red and midnight blue shoes. His collected blood red eyes watched the Rock/Ground-type combination defiantly exercise its arms, ready to continue. "I'm afraid not, young Irvin." Terrell responded, "We both have the desire to enter the Sinnoh Pokemon League, but only one of us will continue on in this last leg of Victory Road!"

The male, now identified as Irvin, chuckled, "No one ever said it would be easy." Irvin was a member of the Darusu Family, most notably the brother of Ivanna and Ian Darusu of Lavender Town of the Kanto Region, and the nephew of Fantina, Hearthome City's Gym Leader. Unlike Ian or Ivanna, whom were coordinators, his occupation was Pokemon battling and, thus, he travelled some of the known regions for gym battles. At the moment, he successfully obtained all eight badges of the Sinnoh Region and was on his way to attend the Pokemon League that would be held two days from now. But first, Veteran Terrell, one of the numerous amounts of wandering trainers in Victory Road, was trying to send him back to the beginning as he too possessed the desire to be a part of the grand competition.

"Rhyperior, Megahorn!" Terrell commanded as he pointed a finger at the Mystic Pokemon. Rhyperior's drill-like horn illuminated a light green color and charged powerfully at the stationary Psychic/Flying-type. "Stop it with Psychic." Irvin commanded. Xatu raised its left wing from its current position and suddenly used telekinesis to prevent further advancement from the Drill Pokemon. "No!" Terrell exclaimed in disbelief. "Steel Wing, Xatu! End it!" Irvin ordered. Both of the Mystic Pokemon's wings illuminated pure silver color as it flew toward the halted Rhyperior. The same sharp slashes echoed across Victory Road's final section and were then accompanied by a painful thud.

"It seems my desire was stronger than yours." Irvin said to Terrell with a satisfied smirk. Rhyperior was once again down and was certainly not going to get back up. "Ah…" Terrell groaned in aggravation but maintained his sportsmanlike conduct, "So it seems…I concede my defeat to you, young Irvin! I wish you and Xatu the greatest of luck in the Pokemon League." Irvin responded wholesomely, "Why thank you, Terrell. I hope I get a real official battle with you in the tournament. But for now, we must part ways." Terrell recalled Rhyperior and bowed; Irvin and Xatu returned the bow and they walked separate directions.

"Garchomp, get me up there with Rock Climb." Irvin enjoined to his recently sent out Garchomp. The Mach Pokemon nodded and turned around so that its trainer could jump on its back. Irvin did so, and the Dragon/Ground-type pokemon expeditiously scaled the huge rock wall in a matter of seconds. Xatu was patiently awaiting their arrival atop the stone structure. "Much appreciated, Garchomp." Irvin acknowledged as he jumped off Garchomp's back and pulled out a Pokeball, "Return." The red and white device recalled it back in via infrared beam from the button. Meters away from the apex of the stone structure was an opening. "There. We finally made it to the end of this accursed Victory Road."Irvin announced in relief. "Xa. (At last.)" Xatu replied equally relieved.

Irvin wiped the perspiration off the hairline of his midnight blue hair before continuing to saunter. Xatu lifted itself off of its perch and flew behind him. The two entered the entrance and were immediately greeted with a very thick cloud of grey mist. "Just our luck…" Irvin groused, "Do you mind, Xatu?" Xatu replied obediently, "Xatu. (Not at all, Sir Irvin.)" The Mystic Pokemon flapped its white wings and immediately began to clear out the fog, now not posing a threat in the continuation of their travelling. Irvin and Xatu approached a cliff and met a large lake within the stone and earth of this floor of Victory Road. "Man…we still have problems to encounter." Irvin stated distastefully. "Xatu? (Do you want me to make sure we did not take a wrong turn?)" Xatu asked looking at its master. "Do so please." Irvin replied. Xatu nodded and flew upward and inspected the surroundings around the lake. The lake was the shortest route to take; the alternative route had some trainers battling and Xatu definitely did not want anymore battles being a detour. The icing on the cake was that there was an entrance in the far-off distance.

"Xatu. (It's best we cross this lake, Sir Irvin.)" Xatu stated as it descended back to Irvin's level, "Xa. (Lest you wish to engage anymore trainers in battle.)" "You already know the answer…" Irvin mumbled as he took out a Pokeball, "Kangaskhan, execute Surf and guide us across safely!" Irvin yelled as he threw out his Pokeball. The device let loose white light into the water and it materialized the Parent Pokemon, Kangaskhan. Irvin jumped off onto the Normal-type's back and tenderly took the Baby Kangaskhan the mother extended to him, so that it wouldn't be drowned inside her pouch as she swam. Xatu hovered above them in order to look for anything threatening or out of the ordinary.

Irvin cradled the Baby Kangaskhan whilst tickling it playfully. The baby pokemon giggled childishly at the Darusu's ministrations. Kangaskhan smiled warmly because she glad that a benign trainer was her and her baby's master. Xatu's black eyes noticed something drifting idly in the way of Kangaskhan's Surfing. "Xatu. (Kangaskhan, look alive.)" The Mystic Pokemon informed. The Parent Pokemon looked ahead to see a small wooden boat some feet away from her. "Kang. (Sir Irvin, a boat is ahead.)" Kangaskhan notified but, for some reason, didn't feel threatened by it. "Hm?" Irvin responded and noticed the obstruction in the path, "Oh. Swim around it."

"Xatu. (Don't.)" Xatu suddenly objected as it swooped down to the boat, "Xa. (Someone is lying on her back in here.)" Irvin nodded and directed Kangaskhan to the boat to which she promptly swam over to it. Indeed there was a female lying on her back almost lifelessly on the floor of the boat. The girl possessed short black hair with a white ribbon located on the right side of her hair. Her outfit was rather strange; it was based off the Japanese gothic lolita style. There was a black mantle outlined by white stripes, black arm warmers, a black vest with white buttons and two parallel white lines running down the front side of the vest, a black saucer-like skirt with white wavy horizontal segments, black leggings, and black boot-style shoes with white socks poking out of the top.

"Kang? (Is she OK?)" Kangaskhan inquired concernedly. "Xatu. (She should be, her mind is calm and alive.)" Xatu responded using its psychic capabilities to establish if the girl was truly without life. Irvin carefully, so that he wouldn't accidentally fall into the water, got off of Kangaskhan's back and entered the boat. He placed the Baby Kangaskhan onto one of the boards acting as a seat before kneeling down to the unconscious girl. Gently, he shook her shoulders, "Hey, wake up." The female stirred a little and her eyelids slowly lifted open, revealing deep blue irises. "Oh, you're OK. That's good." Irvin said as he straightened himself to give the girl some space.

The dark-haired female sat up and looked at Irvin with a half-eyed and unemotional disposition. She questioned him, "Why are you invading my domain?" Irvin calmly answered, "To ascertain your vitality." The girl maintained her emotionless façade as she lifted herself slightly to sit on the seat on the opposite of the boat, "I see…Your concern is appreciated." Irvin, feeling as if he should continue to monitor this strange black-clad female, picked up the Baby Kangaskhan and handed it into its mother. "Return." Irvin said as he recalled Kangaskhan from the water with its Pokeball. "…My assumption is that you're going to keep me company?" The female questioned. "You could say that." Irvin hinted as Xatu perched itself on the side of the boat.

"…I'm Marley…" The female, now identified as Marley, introduced herself. "Irvin Darusu." Irvin introduced in reply. "Irvin...Hn…" Marley droned as she looked at the floor of the boat pensively; she was letting Irvin's designation sink into her mind so that a sense of familiarity with him could be achieved. "Am I allowed to ask why you're idly floating in a boat alone in a place like this?" Irvin asked as Xatu used Psychic to change the boat's course to the direction of the exit. "…I want to get across this lake so that I may reach the end." Marley answered; it was at this point Irvin noticed a small picnic basket at her feet. The black-clad female then returned the question, "What about you…Irvin?" Irvin responded, "To get into the Sinnoh Pokemon League." Marley nodded slightly, "I see…"

At that point, silence befell between the two. The only sounds present in this section of Victory Road was the calm swishing of the water and the muffled sounds of battling between hot-blooded trainers on dry land. Irvin and Marley, and even Xatu, actually did not mind this quiescence. Truth be told, all of them enjoyed the humbleness of taciturnity. It was pleasing and they preferred to bask in the presence of their company rather than speak, unless of course if there was no other way out. "…You're chatty." Irvin pointed out dubiously, breaking the laconism. Marley's deep blue eyes met Irvin's blood red eyes as she said quietly, "I... I don't like to talk... I choose my words carefully, but they may still hurt someone accidentally... When I think of that, I clam up..."

"Hm. You and I have something in common." Irvin announced. For once in this endeavor, the Lavender Town resident brought forth a hint of emotion from Marley; she looked at him slightly intrigued expression. "Please…Elaborate." Marley requested as she picked up the picnic basket from the floor and placed it in her lap. "You like silence, I do too. I abhor cacophony, and it seems so do you." Irvin answered. "Hm.." Marley pensively droned before saying, "You're rather perceptive…I don't encounter many people similar to you." Irvin smirked slightly, "I try to be."

"Xatu Xatu. (Sir Irvin and Lady Marley, land is here.)" Xatu suddenly announced. Both characters turned to see the end of the lake was approaching. "Ah…The stone tablet is up ahead." Marley announced. "May I ask what this "stone tablet" you speak of is?" Irvin inquired. "…My time with you is drawing to a close," Marley replied; neither Xatu or Irvin expected that statement, "Our paths go in opposite directions…You wish to participate in the Pokemon League, correct?" Irvin nodded in response as Marley continued, "Then you needn't worry about me…You and Xatu have more important matters as do I."

The boat finally reached the rocky dock and a small flight of stairs were seen just ahead. "This is where we say goodbye. Pleasure acquainting you, Irvin Darusu." Marley stated in valediction. But before she could even stand up, Irvin sharply shot up and exited the boat. "I can wait…the Pokemon League does not initiate for two days." Irvin pronounced as he extended a hand to her. Marley exchanged gazes from the male's hand and his blood red orbs wonderingly. "...You are very benevolent." Marley acknowledged as she took Irvin's hand and was assisted off the boat. Xatu had a content expression on its countenance as it hovered above the duo.

Marley and Irvin proceeded to traverse up the stairway and out of the exit. The two had entered Route 224 of the Sinnoh Region. "Whoa, this is new." Irvin commented as he inhaled the scent of the new location. "You asked…what the stone tablet I seek is." Marley articulated as she began walking. Irvin followed with Xatu still hovering above them, "Yeah, I did." Marley opened up one of the flaps of her picnic basket, took something out, and presented it to Irvin. It was a rose-colored plant with six even petals and a faded center. "What is that?" Irvin asked. "Gracidea." Marley answered before putting the plant back in the basket, "A plant that is especially important to the Gratitude Pokemon."

"Gratitude…Pokemon…" Irvin wistfully uttered. He was about to reach into his black knapsack to take out a PokeDex until Marley spoke again, "Shaymin…the Gratitude Pokemon."

"Oh…! Shaymin, huh?" Irvin responded, "You must be entirely interested in it." At that moment, Marley stopped walking and looked up to gaze at the sunless yet beautifully alit blue sky, "Yes, I am…this certain Pokémon is so wonderful. It's a Pokémon that conveys the feelings of gratitude in a nice way...I truly admire that." Irvin looked at black-clothed female with mystified expression, _"So…Marley enjoys the quiet but has a welcoming attitude when it comes to gratitude."_

Marley averted her gaze from the sky and back to Irvin, "…Your expression…Have I elicited something?" Irvin quickly snapped out of his stupor and replied, "Ah, sorry…It's just that you're an interesting person is all." Marley once again displayed a hint of emotion; usually her eyes seemed halved but they now widely slightly in minor surprise. To add to it, a small pink tint graced her cheeks. "Well, thank you…" Marley replied while regaining her normal placid façade, "Allow me to make a remark…" Irvin raised a curious eyebrow, "What sort of remark?"

In the small duration Irvin has acquainted Marley, the girl now performed something that could be deemed uncharacteristic: she smiled wholeheartedly which now made her half-eyed face seem content, "I feel the same towards you, Irvin Darusu. Not many people will sacrifice to understand me…or even share a hint of gratitude as have you." Irvin, for some odd reason, flushed a color similar to his blood red eyes, "Well, like I said, I try." Marley nodded appreciatively, "Please keep trying then."

"Xatu. (I hope you haven't forgotten about me, Sir Irvin and Lady Marley.)" The Mystic Pokemon stated from above. Marley looked up at the Psychic/Flying-type, her smile long gone now and back to her usual state of expressionlessness, "Oh how inconsiderate of me, Xatu…Please forgive me for not expending acknowledgement to you." Xatu shook its head, "Xa. Tu. (Make nothing of it, Lady Marley. The thought of you being considerate of me is enough reward I desire.)"

Ultimately, the duo and Xatu reached the dead end of Route 224, but the object that stood out the most was the pale, white rock near the cliff. Irvin blinked as he questioned, "Wait…we walked here only to meet a dead end?" Marley objected, "This is not a dead end…Watch." Irvin obliged by standing silently where he stood; Xatu descended to ground-level and stood on the soil. Marley walked toward the white rock, took the Gracidea Flower out of the picnic basket in her hand, and place it atop the stone. She backed away and did nothing else.

Suddenly, after about a minute of muteness, the white stone began to glow majestically. "Whoa!" Irvin exclaimed. Xatu remained placid as it stated, "Xa..tu. (I see…I understand what she's doing.)" Spontaneously and amazingly, the Gracidea Flower hovered off the white rock as a path began to materialize from the cliff. Eventually, the phenomenon stopped and an entirely new section of Route 224 was formed. "The path that leads to the Gratitude Pokemon…The Seabreak Path." Marley said; although it could barely be noticed, she possessed a form of anticipation in her voice. "Well, let's walk down the path." Irvin said as he walked forward. Subsequently, Marley grabbed his shoulder to prevent further advancement. "What's wrong?" The midnight blue-haired trainer questioned. "If Shaymin truly wants to see…it will come to us." Marley answered as she removed her hand from his shoulder, "Waiting is imminent."

And, thus, a ten-minute waiting game had begun. Just like the last two times silence befell, neither Irvin nor Marley minded as they patiently (and hopefully) waited for the arrival of the Gratitude Pokemon. When the ten minute mark was passed, Marley sighed in defeat, "I suppose Shaymin has no desire…" Irvin looked at Marley sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Marley…" Marley looked at him and replied, "No, no…it's fine. Come, we may leave."

Irvin and Marley turned to walk away, but Xatu's white wings extended from its front and stopped the human's legs from going further. "Xatu. (Hold it.)" Xatu ordered. Marley looked at Xatu questioningly, "What is it, Xatu?" Irvin got the Mystic Pokemon's notion and said, "Xatu's right eye can see the future and its left can see the past…I think Xatu is perceiving the arrival of Shaymin." Marley suddenly had regained hope and small forms of anxiety appear as she asked, "Are you certain?"

"Xa… (Well that…)," Xatu extended its right wind forward as if it was pointing a finger, "Xatu. (And here it comes.)" Irvin and Marley swiftly turned their head to the direction to see none other the pure Grass-type Gratitude Pokemon happily trotting down the flowered pathway of the Seabreak Path. "It's…It's Shaymin!" Marley exclaimed with her deep blue eyes wide at the sight of the Pokemon she adored so much. "So that's Shaymin…" Irvin muttered as Shaymin skipped onto the top of the white stone where Gracidea Flower was stationed. Immediately recognizing its favorite vegetation, Shaymin tapped the rose-colored flower and instantly started glowing green. "What's it doing?" Irvin asked in astonishment. "Shhh…" Marley shushed him as another phenomenon began.

Shaymin's body began to metamorphose, no longer becoming the smallest legendary pokemon to date. When the light faded, Shaymin transformed into its Sky Forme. "Wow, did Shaymin evolve?" Irvin exclaimed in question. "No," Marley answered, "Shaymin, when exposed to Gracidea, transform into its Sky Forme. I finally was able to bear witness to this event…" Shaymin Sky Forme looked at the two characters and the Xatu standing in-between them and smiled heartily; Marley and Irvin returned the smile. The Grass/Flying-type legendary pokemon then flew off into the distance with Irvin and Marley waving after that.

Sunset finally beckoned the scenery of Route 224; the Seabreak Path mysteriously disappeared once more. Irvin and Marley stood at the small beach just off the platform where the white rock was, beginning their salutations. "Thank you...That was the Pokémon that conveys the feelings of gratitude... You made it so I could see it..." Marley said appreciatively, which was rather paradoxical considering her state of expressionlessness had returned. "Nah," Irvin kindly objected as Xatu humbly bowed, "I merely assisted. It was you who had the utmost desire to see Shaymin."

Marley nodded as she took out a Pokeball from the picnic basket and tossed it up. The red and white machine opened up so that a white light could materialize a Crobat. "Will you be at the Pokemon League?" Irvin asked. "I cannot guarantee that…" Marley answered, "However…you are correct in assuming I will be supporting you throughout the whole event." Irvin smiled and stated, "I'm glad."

"With that…" Marley spoke again as she approached Irvin, "I must convey thanks in my own words…To you, Irvin Darusu, thank you…" That instant, Marley placed her soft tender lips onto Irvin's left cheek in order to express her gratitude. The Darusu flushed a color that was superior to his own eye color. Xatu and Crobat snickered in the background while insinuating romantic suggestions. Tantalizingly, Marley slowly removed her lips from his cheek. "Farewell for now…Irvin Darusu." Crobat then performed Fly in order to sweep up Marley and glide off into the distance with her.

"Man…that was…" Irivin wordlessly remarked as he absentmindedly placed his left hand on his left cheek. "Xa? (Indescribable?) Tu? (Outstanding?) Xatu? (Euphoric?)" Xatu stated while looking at its trainer. "All of the above, my dear Xatu." Irvin replied contently. "Xatu..Xatu. (Well..remember that we still have something important to attend to, so don't become distracted.)" The Mystic Pokemon cautioned as it took flight. Irvin nodded, "I got you, Xatu. Now let's go win us a Pokemon League!" Xatu nodded as his trainer turned around and started walking away.

The Psychic/Flying-type spotted a green blur across the twilight-covered horizon. _Xatu Xatu. (My right eye can bear witness to the future.)"_ Xatu thought as he saw Shaymin Sky Forme smile at it before disappearing into the sky, _Xatu…Xa. (And because of the Gratitude Pokemon…the bright future for Irvin and Marley is all too clear for me.)"_ Xatu would smile if it had a suitable mouth. It blithely caught up with its trainer and resumed their quest to the Pokemon League with newfound vim.


	14. Extra Chapter 6: Succor

**Author Notes  
**

The last part of the two-shot that started in the previous chapter. This one has a bit more beef to it, and it includes the "rivalry" between Irvin and Bruce. Also, it involves the introduction of two Tenla-native Pokemon (who are officially the only Tenla-native Pokemon to debut outside PS2)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are Irvin, the rest of the Darusu Family (except Fantina), Bruce Shadow and all mentions of the Shadow Family, Nuero, Phansan, and the move Dust Fall.

**Extra Chapter 6: Succor  
**

"These two trainers are giving it there all! But it's not surprising since these are on their last pokemon!" An announcer's voice boomed through the numerous amount of speakers located all through the castle-like stadium of the Sinnoh Pokemon League. His comment was soon followed up by raucous cheering from the innumerable quantities of excited spectators in their seats.

A Xatu and Meganium, with obvious exhaustion and battle scars, were positioned across from each other on a rock-terrain battlefield. The Xatu was kneeling down on its right knee with its left wing resting upon it; a thin line of poison cursed the area underneath its beak to symbolize the Poison status ailment. The Meganium had various burns across its green quadrupedal body as it panted heavily.

"Ha! It doesn't matter how many times your Xatu's Heat Wave will Burn Meganium," the ecru-haired owner of the Meganium, Vincent, said boastfully as he smirked, "I will keep on using this! Aromatherapy!" The giant pink flower around the Herb Pokemon's neck released a rose-colored mist around it and relived it of the Burn status. The owner of the Xatu, Irvin Darusu, tried his best to maintain his calmness but he was rather irked by the arduous struggle he's been experiencing. To make things worse, this wasn't the first time he has had to continuously strain to maintain his rank; in both the opening round and the subsequent one, his team of six pokemon _barely_ managed to claim victory over his opponents. He was reliving his toil against Vincent.

Xatu winced as the effects of Poison leeched some more of its remaining vitality. "Let's end this!" Vincent yelled as he pointed at the kneeling Mystic Pokemon, "Use Razor Leaf!" The pure Grass-type starter pokemon discharged razor-shape leaves from its flower which were directed to Xatu. "Heat Wave then use Psychic on the remnants!" Irvin ordered. Xatu, ignoring the status ailment, flapped its white wings to release a zephyr of red thermal energy. The Fire-type move ignited all the leaves into burning wisps of fire. Then, the Psychic/Flying-type's eyes shined sapphire so that it could telekinetically shoot the burning leaves straight toward Meganium.

Vincent, caught off-guard, quickly commanded, "Gah! Hurry and use Light Screen!" Hurriedly, the Herb Pokemon summoned a glassy, gold cube to protect itself from the burning leaves commissioned by Xatu's Psychic. "Now's your chance!" Irvin alerted his Xatu, "Steel Wing right now!" The Psychic/Flying combination's wings illuminated silver as a metallic material coated them. It quickly glided toward the preoccupied Meganium. "Watch out, Meganium!" Vincent shouted in anxiety. Before the Grass-type could even react, painful slashing together with glass shattering sounded across the battlefield. "Meganium, no!" Vincent screamed distressfully as Meganium collapsed to the ground with a thud. Irvin sighed in relief; he narrowly avoided the predicament once again.

"Meganium is unable to battle! Xatu is the winner and the victory goes to Irvin!" The ref officiated as he raised an azure flag using his right hand to symbolize Irvin and Xatu. The large big screen overhead, which displayed Irvin and Vincent's images and their pokemon, blotted out Meganium's image on the latter's side and then switched to a screen that had Irvin and his line of six used pokemon with the blue-bordered words "WINNER". "Thanks again, Xatu…" Irvin said gratuitously as Xatu weakly flew over to him. "Xa…tu…(Anytime…Sir Irvin…)" The Mystic Pokemon responded completely exhausted. Vincent tended to his fallen Meganium, "Ah, thanks for trying anyway, Meganium…," The ecru-haired trainer then suddenly began ranting, "But now this means Jimmy's gotta do all the battling and that means Marina will be cheering him on and not me! Oooooh!"

Vincent and Irvin eventually cleared their spots for the next battles of the 3rd Round. The Lavender Town immediately went to the Pokemon Center of the Sinnoh Pokemon League and turned in his Pokemon to Nurse Joy for healing. Exhaling a heavy breath of reprieve, Irvin sat himself on one of the chairs at the tables outside the Pokemon Center. "I know I've always said 'no one said it would be easy'," Irvin stated to no one but himself, "but for some reason…I have to significantly strain beating my opponents. My Pokemon's conditions can reflect that…"

"Maybe you haven't prepared yourself adequately enough." A young but gentlemanly voice suggested kindly. Irvin sharply turned to the source of the voice but relaxed when he recognized him, "Oh, Bruce…When did you get here?" Bruce Shadow, younger brother of Aaron and Chandra Shadow of Metropolis Town, who had desert-colored hair and soft electric purple eyes responded, "Uh, I've been here. You've seen me battle in the last rounds." Bruce wore a rich maroon-colored blazer, a Ringer T-shirt in which the fabric was colored zaffre and the ribbing of the collar and unseen sleeves were colored rich maroon, zaffre denim jeans, and white and brown tennis shoes.

"You mind not getting smart with me?" Irvin requested rhetorically. Bruce chuckled nervously before replying, "Sorry, Irvin." The youngest of the Shadow Family then altered the subject back to the original matter, "Anyway…I think you just haven't prepared yourself enough, have you?" Irvin eyed the desert-haired trainer with his blood red eyes as he answered, "Well…If you mean training, I guess I haven't all that much." "Then that's your problem," Bruce announced while stuffing his hands into his jean pockets, "Why don't you try training your Pokemon tonight?" Irvin shrugged nonchalantly, "Guess I'll try that." "Good!" Bruce exclaimed jovially, "Well, if you'll excuse me, Irvin, Candice wants me and my Pokemon and prepare for tomorrow's match. So see you!" The young Shadow ran off while waving at the Darusu for a split-second.

"Yeah…See you." Irvin mumbled, nowhere near loud enough for Bruce to hear. Truth be told, he excluded to mention another piece of information. Although it was true that he hadn't done extra preparations with his team of Pokemon, he also had a slight lack of esteem. Such notably faltered his abilities to comprehend and counter opponent's skills like he normally could do and this put a strain on his Pokemon's battling capabilities. "Mr. Irvin Darusu!" Nurse Joy called out from the counter, prompting the Darusu to walk over to her. "Your Pokemon have been fully healed." She announced as she handed over five Pokeballs; Xatu flew over and perched itself on the counter. "Thank you." Irvin acknowledged. Xatu bowed, "Xatu. (Thanks again, Lady Nurse Joy.)" The duo then sauntered away to watch the next couple of battles in the Sinnoh Pokemon League.

"Well _THIS_ is just fantastic!" Irvin screamed in aggravation as he gawked spitefully at the screen he and others were looking at. "Now I'm definitely going to be sent packing after my crappy amount of luck…." Irvin muttered dispassionately. Why was he so worked up? Irvin was set to battle against Bruce tomorrow in the next round. Xatu tenderly placed a comforting wing onto its trainer's shoulder, "Xatu. (Do not lose hope, Sir Irvin, we can still do this.)"

Irvin sighed as he trudged out of the lobby and into the outside; a starlit dusk had befell. "I hope so, Xatu…Our performance wasn't been our greatest." Irvin said as he walked through the crowd of dispersing people. "Xa. (Sadly, I must agree.)" Xatu responded as it flew right above Irvin. "I thought you would," Irvin said, "After all, in all of my matches, it would seem that you have been picking up the slack that the other five have…but in actuality, it's _my_ depreciation in talent that's plaguing all of you." Xatu closed its eyes wistfully, "Xatu. (I understand.) Tu..(But I will admit, it is rather arduous for me to perform such feats..) Xatu. (I won't be able to continue winning this way, Sir Irvin, our luck will probably cease in our morrow's match against Sir Bruce.)"

"That's the thing I'm worried about," Irvin grumbled woefully as he adjusted his blood red sash, "Bruce is Aaron, Ian my brother's best friend's, younger brother. Everyone can clearly see that they inherited whatever power their parent's had. And I'm no coordinator, but Ivanna tells me Chandra is no different." Xatu reopened its eyes, noticing he and Irvin had reached the summit of the waterfall located just outside the thin line of forestry around the Pokemon League, and asked, "Xatu? (What are you going to do about it?)" "Train harder in the time we have left." Irvin answered as he gazed out to the beautiful scenery of stars, night sky, and peaks of Victory Road, "I will not allow myself to let a travesty occur on my volition."

"Hm…Well, thanks for making me not regret supporting you." A feminine, monotonous voice said out of nowhere. Guardedly, Irvin and Xatu turned around to face the figure. "Relax yourselves, it is someone you know." The person said with a small smile on her normally expressionless countenance. "Marley?" Irvin exclaimed in shock, "I-I thought you said you couldn't come!" Marley shook her head as she approached Irvin; she also had the picnic basket from before in tow, "I merely stated I could not guarantee my arrival…never implied I would not come." Irvin nodded, "But still…it's good to see you again." Xatu bowed, "Xa. (And so we meet again, Lady Marley.)"

"Likewise to the both of you…" Marley stated before changing the subject, "So training at dusk, I see." Irvin answered, "That is correct. My lack of training in my downtime is affecting my Pokemon's performance so I must rectify that." "Hn..I see." Marley responded droningly. Her emotionless deep blue eyes drilled into Irvin's alarmed blood red orbs, as if she was probing his very soul for any unwanted answers. "Your confidence in yourself and your Pokemon….it has diminished since the last I've laid my eyes on you." Marley observantly declared while narrowing her already "halved" eyes phlegmatically. Irvin's eyes widened slightly as Xatu exclaimed mentally, _"Xatu? Xa? (What is she? Psychic or something?)"_

"Why is that?" Marley interrogated putting her hands on her hips in disappointment. "Honestly…I have no clue." Irvin responded in a hushed tone while looking away to avoid her piecing pools of deep blue. "Tu. (Like that's a sizeable response.)" Xatu chided sarcastically. "Are you frightened? Intimidated? Nervous?" Marley questioned; her unemotional tone actually seemed more concerned rather than upset like Irvin and Xatu originally thought. "No. Never." Irvin defiantly replied now gaining more self-assurance to lock eyes with the black-clad female.

"Xatu….(You believe you are weak…)" Xatu announced forebodingly as it closed it eyes.

Marley's eyes widened in shock as Irvin closed his eyes in shame. "Weak? I-…I do not comprehend." Marley said disbelievingly. "Well…that's my only logical assumption," Irvin elaborated while rubbing the back of his head, "I mean… My brother and sister, Ian and Ivanna, always said they've had to struggle in their Pokemon Contests, and I'm not exception when it comes to Trainer Battles. I think I've been lucky throughout these rounds honestly."

Silence befell the two once again. Unlike last time when they relished in the laconism, the silence was full of tension. Marley seemed disinterested because of her usual state of expressionlessness, but she was really disappointed and appalled internally. Irvin was apprehensive and was anxiously but quietly awaiting the black-clad female's impending action.

"…Irvin Darusu…" Marley finally spoke but her mood, to Irvin, was currently unreadable, "…I challenge you to a three-on-battle as the training you said you would undergo." Now the Darusu Family member was sent straight down the precipice of confusion. Xatu scratched the side of its head with its wing as it thought, _"Xatu. (I certainly didn't expect that.)"_ Irvin mentally responded to Xatu, thanks to the telepathy provided by Psychic-types, _"What are you talking about? You can see the future!"_ Xatu psychologically replied, _"Tu. Xa. (I only know WHAT happens in the future. Not HOW it unfolds.)"_

"And I am not accepting a declination…" Marley added austerely as she took out a Pokeball from inside the basket, "So…bring out your first battler, if you may." Irvin nodded and removed a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it by pressing the button in the center; Xatu flew back so that its presence would not obscure the ensuing bout.

"Claydol, come out!" Irvin tossed out the Pokeball and the Clay Doll Pokemon released into the battle. "Sceptile, be swift as the wind." Marley tossed out hers and the fully evolved Grass-type starter of Hoenn was released from the red and white machine. "Ladies first." Irvin announced. Marley nodded before point a finger at the levitating Claydol, "Advance for an X-Scissor." Expeditiously, the Forest Pokemon dashed for the Ground/Psychic-type. _"Swift creature.."_ Irvin mentally remarked before ordering his Claydol, "Gravity."

"Detect, my dear Sceptile." Marley calmly commanded. Sceptile's eyes, as per the command of Detect, noticed the gravitational pressure increasing around it and expertly evaded that certain spot. Before Claydol could react, Sceptile slashed against its body while leaving a light blue "X". Claydol was sent back slightly but quickly regained its composure even after taking a super-effective hit. "Continue your assault with Dragon Pulse." Marley commanded as she hugged herself slightly. "Tile!" Sceptile roared as it discharged an azure sphere of draconic energy. "Send it back with Psychic." Irvin commanded. The Clay Doll Pokemon psychically grabbed the Dragon Pulse and sent it back, successfully hitting Sceptile.

"Energy Ball. Increase its velocity with X-Scissor." Marley enjoined. Sceptile created a photosynthetic sphere of green energy in front of it. Then, using X-Scissor, it jettisoned the Grass-type attack to Claydol with great velocity. Claydol was once again rendered unable to react effectively and was struck. _"I see…So Marley prefers Speed over anything else."_ Irvin contemplated then enjoined, "Stone Edge!" Claydol summoned white, glowing, overlapping ellipses around its body which eventually transformed into pale, sharp stones. The Stone Edge was then discharged toward the pure Grass-type. "Detect." Marley commanded. Sceptile's instincts suddenly heightened and was allowed evasion from Stone edge. "Psychic!" Claydol's eyes shined slightly so that it could psychically reroute Stone Edge's course back to Sceptile.

"Watch yourself!" Marley cautioned, but it was too late as her Sceptile was hit by the Stone Edge-Psychic combination. "Keep it in place with Gravity!" Irvin commanded. The Ground/Psychic-type increased the gravity around the floored Sceptile and forcibly kept it in place. Marley could only stare unemotionally as Irvin commanded, "Charge Beam!" Claydol's arms detached from its body and fired beams of static electricity from the tip directly at the incapacitated Forest Pokemon. Sceptile screamed in pain as the Electric-type attack hit its mark and slowly draining its health.

Eventually, Sceptile's eyes were replaced with swirls and Claydol ceased firing Charge Beam. "One down…" Irvin announced as Marley recalled Sceptile back into its Pokeball. "So it seems…" Marley said introspectively as she took out another Pokeball and tossed it out. "Crobat, like the lightning if you please." The Poison/Flying-type Pokemon was released from its Pokeball and stationed itself in the air. "The first maneuver belongs to you, Irvin." Marley announced. "Thanks. Claydol, Stone Edge!" Irvin enjoined. Claydol once again summoned pale sharp stones around its body and prepared to send them to Crobat. "Double Team." Marley ordered; the Bat Pokemon instantaneously produced astral clones of itself which then surrounded Claydol in a curvilinear fashion. "What the?" Irvin exclaimed as Claydol perplexedly looked around, trying to ascertain which Crobat it should strike.

"Confuse Ray." All of the Crobats then suddenly released a sinister, wavy blue light. All of the Claydol's eyes turned into X's as the Confusion status ailment obfuscated the Clay Doll Pokemon. "Finish this round with a collective X-Scissor." Marley commanded as her eyelids lowered to enshroud her deep blue eyes. Like a speeding bullet, all of the Crobats suddenly bypassed the confused Claydol. The delayed effects of X-Scissor finally kicked in when the original Crobat evaporated its clones; multiple light blue slashes struck Claydol within seconds and it immediately fell to the ground. "..Brutal…" Irvin commented as he recalled Pokeball. "Hm." Was all Marley said. "Xa. (Claydol is going to be feeling that in the morning.)" Xatu muttered inaudibly.

"Garchomp, out please!" Irvin threw his next red and white sphere, it opened up so that white light could be let loose, and said light materialized the Mach Pokemon Garchomp. "Now it's your turn to start off, Marley." Irvin said guardedly, now aware of the strength her Crobat possessed. "Air Slash." Marley commanded. Crobat speedily flapped its purple wings so that multiple blades made of air could be released toward Garchomp. "Rock Climb, block and strike!" Irvin commanded. Garchomp's claws illuminated a dim white color and large, miniature mesas where suddenly formed. The Air Slash struck the stone leaving large abrasions. Garchomp swiftly climbed up these mesas and rammed into the airborne Bat Pokemon with great force.

"So your Garchomp is rather quick itself…" Marley muttered quietly like the introvert she somewhat was, "Very well…Double Team." Crobat multiplied itself, after shaking off the damage from Rock Climb, around the Dragon/Ground-type. "Not allowing that to happen again!" Irvin determinedly announced, "Aqua Tail! Hit them all!" "Gaaaaar…!" Garchomp growled as its tail suddenly was engulfed with a beautiful blue sheen. "CHOOOOMP!" Lifting its tail, it raised up a wave from the waterfall adjacent to the site of the battle and promptly sent it to the Crobats. "X-Scissor, lacerate through." Marley evenly ordered. Crobat and its clones dashed straight into the rampaging waters, at the expense of two or three clones, and began quickly cutting the water into pieces with X-shaped strikes.

_"Wait for it…"_ Irvin thought as Garchomp guardedly in its position. In a matter of seconds, the real Crobat (all of the clones were lost in the Aqua Tail's assault) surged through the water and attempted to strike Garchomp head-on. "Dragonbreath!" Garchomp immediately exhaled ivory smoke from its mouth. Because of the close proximity, Crobat could not avoid the Dragonbreath or even connect an X-Scissor and was hit by the Dragon-type attack.

Aqua Tail eventually died down in order to return the battle back to its original state. Garchomp smirked as it saw electricity crackling along Crobat's body, signaling the secondary side effect of Dragonbreath, a state of Paralysis. "A minor setback." Marely said, "Confuse Ray." Before Irvin could even order evasion, Crobat released Confuse Ray and successfully discombobulated the Mach Pokemon. Irvin gritted his teeth and suppressed a growl as Garchomp began striking itself out of confusion. "Air Slash." Marley commanded but Crobat was too paralyzed to move at the moment, "Argh…"

"Dragonbreath!" Irvin commanded. Thankfully for him, Garchomp was able to properly execute Dragonbreath and made an impact on the Bat Pokemon. Crobat finally fell to the ground with swirls replacing its eyes, unable to tolerate the conditions of the battle any longer. "Phew. Dodge a bullet there…" Irvin stated silently but hissed vehemently when Garchomp's status ailment caused it to deplete the remainder of its health. "Hm. So it comes down to this." Marley announced as she took out her final Pokeball. "So it seems. I'm not backing down now." Irvin vowed as he took out as his, opting use a different final Pokemon other than Xatu. "Oh?" Marley replied with what seems the tiniest hint of an anticipatory smirk. "That's right. Let's end this, Phansan!" Irvin threw out his Pokeball and the red and white device released a Tenla-native Pokemon.

It was a Ground/Ghost-type Pokemon. Its legless, floating body seems to be made entirely of astral dust and/or sand. In fact, the only thing actually solid of its body was its white claws. Its torso roughly had the shape of an expanded cone and its head was covered with a stationary "hood" in which only ecru-colored eyes could be seen. "A Tenla Pokemon, hm?" Marley stated as she threw her Pokeball out. "Arcanine, move at the speed of sound." The Legendary Pokemon was let loose from its confinement and ferociously stared down its Ground/Ghost-type opposition. "Your honor, Irvin." Marley announced. "Phansan, Stone Edge." Phansan summoned rock pillars directly from the ground and they started making their way toward Arcanine.

"ExtremeSpeed to find your way and finish up with Crunch." Marley commanded. The pure Fire-type, fluidly like the wind, advanced by jumping off each and every stone pillar coming its way while leaving an orange blur. _"This one's even faster than the last two!"_ Irvin mentally exclaimed. Arcanine was now in front of Phansan and viciously chomped onto its rather small body with its mouth and began grating it with dark energy insides its dentures. Phansan shrieked in pain as monstrous amounts of agony infected its nervous system. "Dust Fall." Irvin calmly commanded. Marley raised her left bow in interest, _"Dust Fall?"_ The Ground/Ghost combination spontaneously summoned a massive amount of dust and sand in the air. Like Rock Slide, Waterfall, and Avalanche before it, a downpour of the element it represented cascaded onto Arcanine, who was forced to disengage usage of Crunch because of the super-effective Ground-type attack.

"Regroup, Arcanine." Marley softly enjoined. The Fire-type promptly used ExtremeSpeed to dash away from Phansan and residual dust to appear back in front of its black-clad trainer and collect its wits. "Leaving so soon?" The midnight blue-haired trainer taunted before commanding, "Sandstorm!" Phansan waved its arms and summoned an irritating dust storm around the premises. _ "Finally…he's actually thinking progressively and taking opportunities at the right moment…He has been throughout this whole battle."_" Marley thought contently but commanded aloud, "Arcanine, Flare Blitz. Pierce through." Surrounding itself a mighty orange inferno, Arcanine released a wolverine's howl into the night before powerfully charging at Phansan with enough vim to shred through Sandstorm.

"Ominous Wind! Waver it!" Irvin commanded. Phansan slammed it hands onto the ground and suddenly created a black and purple gale that blew straight into the Flare Blitz-induced Arcanine. The Fire-type's advancement was halted momentarily, but it struggled to fight back against the Ghost-type move. On top of that, the recoil damage from Flare Blitz was beginning to activate. "So it comes down to this…" Marley sagaciously pronounced as she closed her eyes and hugged herself. "Ah..It is completely of their own willpower now." Irvin stated concurringly as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

Phansan, who was outmatched in terms of natural stats, was beginning to falter in maintain the potency of Ominous Wind. Arcanine, on the other hand, had the determination and will to continue forging through. Like someone battling against the winds of a hurricane, the Flare Blitz-induced Legendary Pokemon began to trudge through. Even though its energy was fading fast, the Ground/Ghost Pokemon refused to let itself be defeated in this matter. With guttural roars, Phansan and Arcanine implemented the last bits of their power into their final move.

A colossal explosion occurred, a mixture of darkness and fire swirled, and a tower of power was raised into the night. Surprisingly enough, neither Irvin nor Marley had even twitched from their positions despite them being the closest to the burst of energies. When the smoke and dust subsided, both Phansan and Arcanine were lying motionless on the ground unable to continue and satisfied with the results of this training session.

"That's it, huh?" Irvin said as he called Phansan. "Indeed…" Marley replied as she too recalled her fallen Pokeball. "Well, Marley…the battle may have been a tie…but it did its job." Irvin announced as he put away the Pokeball and Xatu flew back over. "How so?" Marley asked, but she being coy in that she was already aware of this altercation influenced the Darusu Family member. "My confidence has been fortified because of this and my original methods have returned…I don't know what mumbo-jumbo you casted, but it worked nonetheless." Irvin explained.

Marley smiled warmly before replying, "Anything to assist a gratuitous person such as yourself. You completely deserve the services…as you have indebted yourself to me before." Irvin smiled back, "And to convey my thanks…I shall dedicate my future wins in the Pokemon League to you, Marley."

Xatu hummed and chirped happily as it looked up to examine the starlit night sky; however, a rather interesting new aspect caught its eye. "Xatu! (Sir Irvin and Lady Marley!)" The Mystic Pokemon called out and pointed to the sky. The two humans looked up to see the sky to see something out of the norm. Prancing gracefully in the night sky was a lavender and silver quadrupedal creature that vaguely resembled an Arceus. Completely wrapped around its four legs, from its pointed ends to the intersection, were lilac "ribbons" with the ribbon-tails flowing in the wind gorgeously. Its whole body was silver but it was puffy and soft-looking like a cloud. The only other things noteworthy were that its nose was extended like a long-nosed echidna and its eyes were actually a golden "visor".

"What is…that?" Marley inquired, stunned by the serene and breathtaking milieu the high-in-the-sky entity had, "It feels so pleasant and it looks beautiful." Irvin fished out his black PokeDex from his knapsack and scanned whatever it was they were seeing.

" Nuero: The Succor Pokemon. When Nuero skips across the sky, clouds are formed in its wake and its whole body seems to be composed of air and the material that makes up a cloud. Being a witness of Nuero's presence is a sign of good luck and prosperity. If a person assists another before they see Nuero, they are destined for a lasting companionship."

"That has _got_ to be a legendary pokemon from the Tenla Region, and it's a pure Flying-type!" Irvin proclaimed as he looked up the stats and characteristics of Nuero. "Wow…" Marley whispered in awe; she had a captivated look on her face that rivaled the one she had during Shaymin's transformation into its Sky Forme. "It must have come for us…" Irvin spoke while still looking at the Flying-type legendary pokemon skip through the night sky, "I mean...it appeared right you helped me." Marley nodded in acknowledgement but her eyes were still glued to the Nuero. Slowly, Irvin's right hand began to intertwine with Marley's left hand. He was hoping that he wasn't acting too quickly so that she would be freaked out. Much to his delight, Marley tenderly took his hand held it.

With elated smiles and a content Xatu hovering above them, the duo watched the legendary Flying-type of Sinnoh prance the night away while clouds to grace the millions of stars.

* * *

"Welcoooooome, ladies and gentlemen, to the next round of this exciting Sinnoh Pokemon League!" The announcer shouted excitedly through the speakers. He was soon followed by uncontrolled cheering by the audience sitting in the stands. "And, boy, do we have an excellent match to start off the day!" As he said that, the big screen put up the images of Bruce Shadow and Irvin Darusu, "It's Bruce of Metropolis Town against Irvin of Lavender Town!" Said trainers were already positioned on their sides of the battlefield; Bruce being on the right and Irvin being the left.

"WHOOO!" Candice, the Snowpoint City Gym Leader, cheered from the sidelines, "DO YOUR BEST, BRUCEY!"She was paying respects to the youngest member of the Shadow Family by being in his corner throughout the whole conference since Chandra and Aaron were unable to do so. Besides, she was a trusted family friend of the Shadows, so nobody minded.

Out of nowhere, Marley walked up beside Candice and stated, "I wonder how long your precious Bruce will last against Irvin." Candice blinked and looked at the black-clad female that was now beside her, "Heh. I'm sure he'll last."

Marley responded, "Well, let's see how long he'll last against Irvin."

"This is an official Pokemon League Tournament matchup! It is a full six-on-six battle in which substitutions can be made at will. A winner will be declared when all six Pokemon on one side are rendered unable to battle! Now bring out your Pokemon!"

Irvin and Bruce smirked at the same time, got out their respective Pokeballs are the same time, and prepared to show everyone, including their female companions, some _real_ Pokemon battling.


	15. Extra Chapter 7: Back and Forth

**Beginning Author Notes  
**

This is the final bonus/extra chapter for PS1. Hopefully after this I won't have to touch this story anymore. This final one is particularly important because it has the more important people in it. Also, when I first made this, it was supposed to advertise Pokemon Black and White. You'll see towards the end.

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon is copyrighted to Satoshi Tajiri (characters, concept, and creatures). All I own in this chapter are Ixea, Sphinx, Aaron, Jacob, Ian, and the Tenla Region.

**Extra Chapter 7: Back and Forth  
**

Jacob Forut sighed as he not-so-enthusiastically scanned his surroundings, a grassy plain with a fair amount of trees present. "Yan. (Jacob, I'm not gonna lie)," Jacob's Yanmega said as he lazily floating beside him, "Yan…(This is really boring…)"

"I know, Yanmega," Jacob dejectedly admitted as he slipped his notepad into his ecru-colored slacks, "But it's a class assignment, and you know how much I want to be a Master Pokemon Researcher." The Ogre Darner Pokemon nodded in acknowledgement as he watched Jacob adjust his glasses that framed his burnt sienna eyes.

Jacob and Yanmega were currently doing a class assignment for the Orange Islands Research & Biology Institute, the school Jacob attends where he might ultimately graduate as a beginning Pokemon Researcher. Him and the rest of the class's objective was to locate and annotate the behavior and appearance of a Pokemon; depending on the rarity of the Pokemon would determine 70% of the grade based on the rarity of the species. The classmates could not use their own Pokemon as a subject.

Sadly, the orange-haired aspiring researcher-to-be was having zero luck at doing his task. And with only an hour of the two hours they were given remaining, things were looking rather bleak for him. The only Pokemon Jacob and Yanmega found in the wild were Magikarp, Bellsprout, Pidgey, Duskull, and Gible, all of which were unfortunately common in the area. The only thing that was remotely close to rare was a Girafarig, but the thing escaped; however, that wasn't before trying to obliterate Jacob and Yanmega with Psybeams for invading its, lack of a better word, "privacy".

The tan-skinned student sighed heavily before letting himself fall back-first onto the soft glass, "Jeez, who would think it would be THIS hard?"

Yanmega hovered above his grounded master as it replied, "Yan. Yan. (I wouldn't know, Jacob. School is a b**** that like, I guess.)" Jacob closed his eyes and he exhaled sharply before muttering, "I suppose so…now what?"

"Maybe you should get off the floor and persist a little longer." A female voice recommended before giggling cutely.

Jacob's eyes shot up as he sat up and Yanmega scrabble to turn to the voice's origin, both actions out of surprise. The researcher-to-be and the Bug/Flying-type were even more surprised to see a brunette girl wearing a teal shirt, a red skirt, and a white short-brimmed cap with a red Pokeball symbol, red and white shoes with a baggy teal socks, and finally a yellow travelling bad hanging across her chest like a purse.

"Leaf! I don't believe it!" Jacob exclaimed happily as he removed himself from the grass, brushed some adhesive blades of grass off his sea green Polo shirt, and hugged his apparently long-time companion. "I couldn't believe it either when I saw you!" Leaf responded elatedly she and Jacob embraced friendly. The two broke the hug before Leaf continued inquisitively, "Man…how long has it been since you, me, Aaron, and the rest of have seen each other?"

"Approximately when our journeys through Johto and Hoenn ended," Jacob answered pushing his glasses with an index finger. Yanmega perched himself on top of Jacob's head and beamed at Leaf with a smile. The brunette giggled before petting the Ogre Darner's head, "Ooh, so this must be your Yanma, huh? It looks so awesome now!"

"You better believe it!" Jacob replied as he and the Bug/Flying-type grinned proudly. "Speaking of Aaron and others," Leaf stated as she retracted her hand, "what's up with them?"

Jacob answered as he listed off the characters Leaf was referring to, "Aaron is mostly likely hanging in Tenla with some other friends he met in Sinnoh; Ian is probably with him after the Grand Festival in Sinnoh; Brendan and Lucas, I'm not too sure since neither me, Aaron, nor Ian have heard of them since our Hoenn adventures; Riley, Cheryl, Buck, and Mira are still in Sinnoh from what I heard, even though they're _Ian's_ posse during his Johto travels, not ours…"

"Man, I KNEW I should've stuck around with you guys," Leaf pouted cutely as she placed her arms on her hips, "You guys get ALL the fun…" Jacob chuckled sheepishly, "Right now I'm not having any fun…," Taking a momentary pause to clear his throat, the orange-haired male returned the question, "Regardless, what about you?"

Leaf placed a finger on her chin as she looked up to the sky in contemplation, "Well…Ethan has been hanging around in Johto as of late, that guy Blue all of us met in Kanto told me and a couple others he was becoming Viridian City Gym Leader after unknown complications with its former one," Leaf twirled strands of her long brown hair with the same index finger as she droned contemplatively, "Uhhhhh…"

"What about that redheaded punk we met around during Johto?" Jacob asked as he tried to recall the enigmatic person's name, "What was his name?..Uhh…Steve…Sylvester…Sil….Erm…"

"Oh!" Leaf exclaimed as she remembered the designation, "I think you're talking about Silver!"

"You found out that guy's name?" Jacob questioned while blinking. "Ethan told me," Leaf answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Dang, I'M the one who's been missing out on things!" Jacob said sheepishly as he beamed. Outside of his predictions, Leaf giggled cutely causing the male to become perplexed. "Why are you giggling? What's up?" Jacob questioned curiously; Yanmega was equally interested.

"You're forgetting two other companions during Johto and Hoenn~" Leaf responded in singsong tone before giggling some more. "Am I?" Jacob naively said as he blinked again. Yanmega shook his head at his trainer's cluelessness; although Jacob was extremely intelligent, he could be slow at some points (Yanmega knew the two people Leaf was referring to).

The Pallet Town brunette grabbed Jacob's left hand, "Come on! I'll show you!" She said with a smile as she trotted off while still holding Jacob's hand. "H-Hey! Slow down, Leaf! I'm gonna trip!" Jacob cried out as he tried to keep up with the female; Yanmega chuckled as he floated beside the duo.

A minute or two later, Leaf guided Jacob to a certain location within the plains; the soft tune of a sitar and the relaxing melody of a flute was being carried throughout the tranquil vicinity.

Jacob became mystified by the excellent music being played. Then his eyes widened when he realized only two certain people he knew could perform this sort of concert. Catching Jacob's look, Leaf giggled again before saying teasingly, "I bet you recognized them now, do you?"

Her question was answered when Jacob and Yanmega sprinted to where the lovely song was being produced; Leaf enthusiastically followed. Jacob and Yanmega stopped to see two people, male and female apiece, playing respectively a sitar and a flute underneath a cherry blossom tree.

The male possessed stringy yet conditioned Air Force blue hair with a pair of sports goggles resting atop it. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground so that is teardrop-shaped sitar made out of pure Redwood could rest in the lap of his cadet blue denim pants. His deep cerise-colored eyes watched his hands manipulated the strings fluently, almost like he was playing a piano than a sitar (given the musical instrument's current position). A cornsilk-colored Polo shirt adorned his upper body, in addition to a cadet blue, short-sleeved jacket (the bottom three buttons of the jacket were the only ones buttoned). Lastly, he had white and jungle green Nike tennis shoes.

The female possessed messy and shaggy electric ultramarine hair that reached just below her shoulder blades. Three curved bangs stretched out from the hairline above her eyes, and a prominent amount of her hair was tied into bangs that framed the left side of her face. On top of her was an electric lavender wide-brimmed hat similar to Leaf's. Her eyes were closed as she blew into the off-white flute while her fingers occasionally blocked the holes to allow the appropriate notes to sound.

Her upper body was garnished in a small, sleeveless, fallow-colored biker jacket with a gainsboro-colored undershirt. Her neatly rolled-up denim shorts reached her knees. Lastly, she had fallow travelling boots.

"Ixea! Sphinx! Stop playing your instruments and check out an old friend!" Leaf shouted as she caught up with the rooted Jacob. Ixea, the boy, looked up from his sitar and instantly stopped playing at the sight of the researcher-to-be, "Oh snap! It's Jacob!" Sphinx, the girl, stopped mid-note to let her right eye open halfway to reveal a light sea green iris. Upon sight of Jacob, Sphinx opened both of her eyes completely, "Jacob! Long time no see!"

Ixea (Eye-zay-uh) stood up from the grass, laying his sitar against the trunk of the cherry blossom tree, and eagerly approached Jacob, "Dude! We haven't seen each other since Hoenn!"

"He's right, we haven't!" Sphinx added as she walked up beside Ixea.

"I know right?" Jacob cheerfully replied as he regulated his glasses, "Funny that we find each other here on the Orange Islands out of all places…"

"To make things funnier," Ixea said, "Sphinx and I reunite with Leaf on the Orange Islands too!" Blinking incredulously, Jacob turned and his Yanmega turned to Leaf and asked for confirmation, "Is Ixea being serious?"

Nodding, Leaf replied shamelessly, "Indeed. Never thought your homeland would be the regrouping point for us four." Jacob chuckled a little before stating, "If only it was the regrouping point for the rest of us too…"

"Oh yeah," Sphinx said recalling the remaining members of their crew, "There's still Aaron, Ian, Cheryl, Riley, Mira, Buck, Brendan, Lucas, and Ethan." Ixea locked his deep cerise eyes with Jacob's burnt sienna eyes before he asked him, "So tell us, Jacob. What's up with Aaron and Ian? How are they?"

"Ian's still a Pokemon Coordinator, Aaron's still both a Pokemon Trainer and Coordinator," Jacob answered, "I had come back to the Orange Islands, so I had to miss out the Sinnoh Region; they both went there separately. Right now, they are travelling with some friends in Tenla they met in Sinnoh."

"Wow, they're working hard." Ixea commented with a grin. Jacob smiled before he asked Ixea and Sphinx, "Speaking of working hard, how's the objects for being Pokemon Musicians and Pokemon Rangers?"

"We're gradually getting there…" Sphinx answered with an arm behind her head. "Gradually?" Jacob repeated dubiously. "Hey, Ixea and Sphinx have the same goals and want to accomplish them at the same time," Leaf spoke up defensively, "so it's going to take them time to develop."

"What Leaf said." Ixea remarked with a widened grin. "Good point," Jacob admitted and then commented, "But a reason why is probably because you two are pursuing the wrong interests."

Sphinx placed her hands on hips as she scoffed, "Uch, hello! We have to start somewhere, Jacob! Me pursuing Pokemon Contests and Ixea challenging Pokemon Gyms are a perfectly good way for us to travel up the ladder to being Pokemon Musicians and Rangers."

"Yeah, Jacob," Ixea said negatively with a frown. Jacob held his hands up defensively to wave off any further negativity as he replied apologetically, "OK, OK, I understand, you two. Sorry." Yanmega and Leaf chuckled and giggled respectively in the background.

Shifting the subject, Jacob cleared his throat again before he commented, "I still can't get over the fact that you guys are stepsiblings yet you coincide perfectly." Leaf blinked skeptically, "You _still_ haven't, Jacob? How long have we all known each other? Are you that slow?"

"S-Silence, Leaf!" Jacob shouted hesitantly out of embarrassment; Yanmega's Jacob laughed raucously. The stepsiblings were humored, but opted to give Jacob a break and not remark.

Instead, they were prompt to answer his question. "Well, when my dad married Ixea's mom, we had no choice." Sphinx said, shrugging nonchalantly in the middle of her sentence. Ixea mimicked his stepsister's shrug as he added, "Besides, it was easy when we discovered how much we had in common."

"Like the taste in music and goals." Leaf pointed out humorously.

"Don't forget the ADHD!" Ixea and Sphinx simultaneously noted proudly; Jacob, Yanmega, and Leaf chuckled in amusement with Ixea and Sphinx later joining in.

Jacob's Yanmega suddenly stopped chuckling as something really important crossed its mind again. "Yan! (Jacob!)" The Ogre Darner Pokemon shouted urgently, causing all the humans to stop laughing. "Yeah, Yanmega?" Jacob asked in reply. "Yan yan! (Your class assignment, we never got it done!)" Yanmega answered while waving its thin, six legs frantically.

Jacob's eyes dilated as shocking realization slammed upon him, "Uh-oh…"

"What's the matter, Jacob?" Sphinx, Ixea, and Leaf asked out of concern, noticing their friend and his signature pokemon's change in mood. "I was in the middle of doing a class assignment when I met up with you guys…" Jacob answered as he rubbed his temples in agitation, "I never got it accomplished…"

"Well, shoot, we'll help you out!" Ixea chimed energetically. "Really?" Jacob asked as he and Yanmega looked at the three long-time companions. "Heck yeah!" Sphinx answered rivaling her stepbrother' rapture, "It'll be just like old times!"

"I agree." Leaf said, "Just tell us what we have to help you with."

"Thanks, guys," Jacob acknowledge appreciatively before moving onto pressing matters, "OK, Yanmega and I have to search for Pokemon in the area and annotate their behavior and appearance. The rarer the Pokemon I examine, the better grade I could get."

"Sounds simple enough." Ixea commented as he put his sitar in its case and slung the bag over his shoulder and down the opposite side; Sphinx put her flute inside its case that hung over her body like Leaf's travelling bag. "Believe me, it's not." Jacob melancholily muttered. "Don't fret, Jacob," Leaf consoled, "Like I said before, you just need to persist a little longer."

Jacob nodded wordlessly as a response of acknowledgement. Pumping a fist into the air, Sphinx yelled vigorously, "OK! Let's pass us a class!"

Eagerly, Leaf, Ixea, Jacob, his Yanmega, and Sphinx then hurried away from their sight in search for a Pokemon that would best help Jacob in his assignment. Their progress was notably better than Jacon and Yanmega by themselves, but there was STILL no sufficient success.

This time, the group discovered Aipom, Dunsparce, Gligar, Feebas, and Poliwhirl in addition to the previously seen Pokemon. Jacob was going to select the Dunsparce as its subject; however, they saw other students across the field annotating each of the aforesaid Pokemon. Consequently, Jacob decided to move as he wanted to pick a Pokemon others probably would miss.

The final 10 minutes for Jacob's assignment time approached, along with the orange sunset on the horizon. Unfortunately, there was still no luck in finding the appropriate Pokemon.

"Jeez, Jacob, your class sucks," Sphinx muttered exhaustedly as she leaned against a tree. "Sadly…" Jacob grumbled in annoyance. "And you don't have much time left either…" Leaf said softly, feeling weak for not being able to help out her friend. "Jacob, I think we should go back and check out that Heracross we saw," Sphinx recommended as she removed herself from the tree, "that's your best bet, unless you want to go back empty-handed."

"Yeah, you're right, Sphinx," Jacob responded delicately, feeling disappointed for not accomplishing his goal precisely.

"Yo, guys!" Ixea suddenly yelled in the distance, "Come check this Pokemon out! Hurry!" Curious and somewhat alerted, Jacob, Leaf, Yanmega, and Sphinx dashed over to where Ixea was. He was kneeling behind a line of bushes while looking over it intently. Jacob, Leaf, and Sphinx approached and kneeled beside either side of him; Yanmega perched itself in the tree beside above them. They all followed Ixea's line of vision to see an interesting and certainly new creature drinking out of a small stream.

It was a white-on-black zebra Pokémon with thick, pointed white stripes on its neck, chest, back and hind legs. Its neck was bended down so that the face of the Pokemon could salvage the running water in the stream. Its neck possessed a spiked white mane, culminating at the front in a lightning-bolt-esque pointed extension. It sported stubby, triangular dark ears on its head with blue skin on the insides. Lastly, its hoofed legs were tipped with white, and its tail was stubby, white-colored and pointed.

"Whoa." Sphinx commented with widened eyes. "Pretty…" Leaf remarked breathlessly as she took out her Kanto-edition PokeDex, only for the red device to have no data on the Pokemon, "OK, so that must mean it's not from any known regions at the moment."

"So that means this little fellow must be native to region other than Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, OR Tenla!" Ixea announced conclusively. "What do you think, Jacob?" Leaf asked with her eyes till fixated at the drinking zebra. She got no answer so she turned to the researcher-to-be, "Jacob?"

The orange-haired male was way too busy annotating the behavior and appearance of the Pokemon to acknowledge his friends at the moment, "-because of the lightning bolt extension on its head, I surmise it to be an Electric-type. And because it is drinking water, it must have characteristics seen in other quadrupeds, like an Absol or Delcatty. Plus, if it's truly an Electric-type like its appearance implies, it could feed off on electrical appliances for more energy!"

Leaf and Sphinx chuckled as a sweatdrop graced the back of their heads while Ixea shook his head. "Now if only I could get its name…" Jacob mumbled contemplatively. "If it's a Pokemon that our PokeDexes can't acknowledge at the moment," Leaf said, "your teachers cannot penalize you for that reason only."

"Yeah, Leaf's right!" Sphinx added, "Besides, you said it yourself: the rarer the Pokemon, the better grade you'll get." Ixea grinned as he pointed at the drinking unknown Electric-type, "And that, my good friend, is RARE!"

"Right!" Jacob responded with a smile as he put the finishing touches on his report; at this point, the zebra-like creature decided it consumed enough water and skipped off expeditiously, "Oh man! It even has the typical high speeds of an Electric-type! Hold on, let me put that down!" Jacob yammered in amazement as he scribbled a couple more things on his notepad. Yanmega, Leaf, Ixea, and Sphinx chuckled heartily.

**-LATER-**

"And even without a name, Jacob Forut passes his assignment with a predictable A+!" Jacob announced proudly as she showed off his notepad with a giant, red "A+" placed at the top of the paper. "Yan! (Damn right!)" Yanmega boasted with a smirk as he hovered beside Jacob.

Ixea, Sphinx, and Leaf whooped and hollered in accomplishment as they applauded enthusiastically. "And I couldn't have done it without the help of three awesome friends!" Jacob said appreciatively as he gave them a smile and a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, and don't you forget that either!" Ixea responded happily with a grin. "Tweren't nothing, J," Sphinx said while tipping her hat slightly. Leaf gave the aspiring Pokemon Researcher a wink, "Anytime; that's what friends are for."

"And I bring even better news!" Jacob announced with his smile turning into an expectant smirk.

"Oh really?" Sphinx, Ixea, and Leaf asked curiously.

"The Orange Islands Research & Biology Institute is closing for the rest of the season," Jacob announced, "So that means students and faculty are given time to travel!"

"I am SO there!" Ixea practically screamed in excitement, "Hey, man, let's go to Tenla! I heard that place is the bomb!"

"Ditto that!" Sphinx added in, rivaling her stepbrothers' voice.

"It'll be just like old times!" Leaf said in nostalgia, "Perhaps we'll encounter everyone else too!"

"...Um..." Jacob's reluctant response killed the euphoria in the air, "I can't go right now..."

"Why not?" Ixea, Sphinx, and Leaf all questioned in unison.

"Family reasons," Jacob simply answered, eyes dropping to the ground, "Can't really disclose them. Especially if mother ordered them."

"Oh." Leaf and Sphinx replied somberly.

Ixea, on the hand, replied optimistically, "Hey, man, life your head up! We'll be in Tenla by the time you come! So don't worry!" Jacob looked at Ixea, nodded, and smiled in understanding. Ixea then looked at Sphinx and Leaf and said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"This'll be blast from the past as we head forth to the future!" Sphinx stated animatedly as she pointed at the horizon, as if gesturing to where their faraway destination would be.

"My teacher said a ferry in one hour will take you guys to Snowpoint City's ferry in the Sinnoh Region," Jacob informed, "Then you can get on another ferry and arrive in Zumi Town of the Tenla Region."

"Then why are we still discussing this?" Leaf surveyed impatiently, "Let's head out already!"

"Peace out, J! Good luck and godspeed, my friend" Ixea said departingly as he and the girls energetically went on their way.

Jacob looked only waved back somberly as Yanmega roosted comfortingly on his head. He wasn't ready to leave yet. There was still some things to care of. But, this told him something: everyone was going to reunite with old friends in Tenla. As Sphinx ever-so appropriately put, they were going back to the past as they headed forth to the future.

_"And I'll be danged if I'm left out."_

**Ending Author Notes**

The Leaf that appeared is the same Leaf if Fire Red and Leaf Green. And, thus, concludes the bonus chapters. I hope you guys enjoyed these old pieces of dust and the character/background development it was supposed to have.

By the way, did you see the 5th Gen Pokemon? That's what I meant. This oneshot was made when Black and White were still in its early days.

Ixea are two more FCs/OCs I created, both of them were apart of Aaron and Jacob's team during Johto. Ian was with them during Hoenn along with Aaron and Jacob. Both of them are stepsiblings and are pursuing the goals of being Pokemon Musicians (they thought about being Rangers, but dropped that dream in favor of Musician). They have ADHD and occupy themselves by playing their respective musical instruments (Ixea also read books while Sphinx plays video games in addition). Ixea formerly resided in Oreburgh City while Sphinx formerly resided in Goldenrod City; they both moved to Rustboro City after their parents married.

Since this is supposed to be the story's final AN, allow me to explain the timeline of Aaron, Ian, and Jacob - my original trio.

**Before Kanto**: Aaron's parents die in a car accident in Metropolis Town of the Orre Region. Ian, Ivanna, and Irvin decide to move out of France with their aunt, Fantina, and live in Lavender Town while Fantina becomes Gym Leader in Hearthome City. Jacob begins enrollment in The Orange Islands Research & Biology Institute. Ixea and Sphinx become stepsiblings after their respective mom and dad marry. Aaron meets Jacob and agrees to be his teacher throughout their journey, with consent of Jacob's mother.

**Kanto**: Aaron, with Jacob, starts off their journey in Vermilion City after taking the ferry. These two travel up until they arrive at Lavender Town (Aaron defeating gyms along the way), where they meet Ian and his family. Ian decides to travel along with Aaron and Jacob. They continuing journeying with each other until they arrive in Pallet Town on their way to Cinnibar Island. There, they meet Leaf and help her out while befriending. Leaf eventually separates from Aaron, Ian, and Jacob afterwards. Ultimately, Aaron gathers all gyms, enters the Indigo League, and wins.

**In-Between Kanto & Johto**: Ian discovers Pokemon Contests and decided to pursue them, ultimately having to temporarily part with Aaron and Jacob. Ian gathers up his posse as he travels (Buck, Riley, Cheryl, and Mira) as he performs in Pokemon Contests back in Kanto. Aaron and Jacob on their way to Johto together; at this point, Aaron also gets interested in contests.

**Johto**: Aaron and Jacob reunite with Leaf on the ferry to New Bark Town. In New Bark Town, they also meet Ethan, who later decides to join up with them. In Cherrygove City, the group encounters Silver who supposedly pilfered a Pokemon from Professor Elm's lab. After handling things with him, Aaron, Jacob, Leaf, and Ethan resume their journey in Johto. In Goldenrod City, the group encounter Ixea and Sphinx who are struggling with the Sudowoodo blocking their way to Ecruteak City. Aaron and company help them, with Ixea and Sphinx joining the family afterwards. In Olivine City, Jasmine manages to convince Aaron to become a Steel-type trainer (helping him evolve Scyther into Scizor and Onix into Steelix and catching a Skarmory). Sometime around Mahogany Town, Aaron meets Candice of Snowpoint and they become girlfriend-boyfriend until sometime during Hoenn. Their journey in Johto ends with Aaron winning both the Johto Grand Festival and Silver Conference.

**In-Between Johto & Hoenn**: Aaron, Ixea, Sphinx, Leaf, Ethan, and Jacob regrettably separate. Everyone except Aaron goes back to their homelands (Aaron went back to Kanto to participate in its Pokemon Contests; along the way, he meets with May and her brother Max). Ian and his posse head to Johto for the Pokemon Contests there, meeting almost all of the people Aaron & Jacob met during so.

**Hoenn**: Aaron, Ian, Jacob regroup on the ferry to Littleroot Town. Upon arrival into the own, they help Professor Birch's son, Brendan, with a fieldwork assignment. Brendan joins the group upon completion. It wasn't until Petalburg Forest that Aaron, Ian, Jacob, and Brendan meet Lucas who was being threatened by a Team Magma grunt. Out of nowhere, Ixea, Sphinx, and Leaf appear and chase the grunt off. At this point, Aaron's Hoenn company of Jacob, Ian, Ixea, Sphinx, Leaf, Brendan, and Lucas was finalized. Their journey ends with Aaron winning the Hoenn Grand Festival and Ever Grande Conference (sadly having to battle Ian, Ixea, Sphinx, Brendan, Leaf, and Lucas in respective competitions).

**In-Between Hoenn & Sinnoh**: Aaron and company regretfully separate once more. Jacob has to attend his school again, unfortunately having to miss out Sinnoh.

**Sinnoh**: Aaron travels alone for the majority of Sinnoh, sometimes meeting up with Ash, Brock, and Dawn in the gyms and contests. Ian also travels alone during Sinnoh. Aaron and Ian didn't meet until the final contest in Sinnoh, where they battled in a Pokemon Contest with the former winning. Aaron wins the Sinnoh Pokemon League and Sinnoh Grand Festival after having to battle many known familiar faces in each competition.

**After Sinnoh**: Aaron and Ian seem to continue hanging out with each other. Although, they never see their old friends through their travels after the Sinnoh Region. They are informed about the Tenla Region and head there.

Adieu and adios. Until next time.


End file.
